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It's been blamed for everything from damaged crops to poor retail
spending, and from allergy attacks to termite infestations. The cold,
damp weather of El Nino may even cause California's dairy cows to give
less milk. This may be the end of ice cream as we know it!
Before you panic, let's take a look at some of the facts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines it as "a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather around the globe." Basically, it's a change in water temperature in the Pacific Ocean near the Equator.
NOAA's site provides information on forecasting, frequently asked questions, and data gathered from satellites and buoys tethered in the ocean. Global impacts on economies, agriculture and marine life also are included.
Want to know what El Nino looks like from space? Then check out NASA's El Nino Watch from Space. For the scientifically inclined, NASA provides oceanographic, meteorological, and biological consequences of this weather anomaly. For those of us just wanting to see some neat graphics, satellite movies of El Nino effects on the earth's surface may fit the bill.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The floods caused by El Nino are matched only by the flood of news stories attributing death and destruction across the globe to the abnormal weather.
El Nino.Com has a library of news stories from the San Diego Daily Transcript. New items are posted almost every day about death tolls, farmer's struggles, mud slides, and the possible shortage of National Guard helicopters during the storm.
USA TODAY also is posting their El Nino news, including recent articles about the storm bleaching coral near the Galapagos Islands and drought-related fires in Indonesia.
Want to see how El Nino is affecting weather in your region of the country?
has a clickable weather map of the United States.
CNN Interactive tracks the impacts of El Nino in this CNN Special Report.
Finally, for a list of sites monitoring current news, see The Latest News about El Nino. Links include the Environmental News Network and Yahoo headlines.
Still Skeptical?
See how you rate in the CBS News poll. Eight out of ten Americans say they have heard or read about El Nino. Two-thirds believe it will affect the weather where they live.
However, CNN's Special Report warns that we shouldn't blame every odd breeze, quirky heat wave, or wayward fish on El Nino. If you want to see a more humorous side of the issue, check out El Nino Hype Watch 1998, the "Official El Nino Hotline of Doom!"
The site creators are collecting hundreds of dire predictions from reputable sources. Which ones will come true? "The rain has produced thick vegetation, perfect for catastrophic fires in a dry spell," LA Daily Times, 2/22. "People cleaning up storm debris are vulnerable to tetanus infections," KNX, 2/24. "Excessive mud in fields will make dairy cows drop dead," KFWB, 2/26. "El Nino could have helped cause the French Revolution of 1789 and the Black Death of the 1340s," Reuters, 2/27.
For a final thought on El Nino, read David Plotz' assessment about how El Nino is the perfect weather for conspiracy. Plotz writes that El Nino is a fitting weather pattern for the age because it rewards America at the expense of the rest of the world.
Something for Everyone
Whatever your opinion about the strange weather that's occurring across the world, you're likely to find others who share your thoughts through the variety of El Nino resources on the World Wide Web.
Bio info: Rena Larraņaga is a freelance writer in southern New Mexico, where there have been no mudslides, forest fires, or hurricanes caused by El Nino (yet)!