Tropical Highlights - January 2024

 

During January 2024, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) remained well above-average across the equatorial Pacific (Fig. T18). The latest monthly Nino indices were +0.8C for the Nino 1+2 region, +1.8C for the Nino 3.4 region and +1.9C for the Nino 3 region (Table T2). The depth of the oceanic thermocline (measured by the depth of the 20C isotherm) was above-average in the eastern equatorial Pacific (Figs. T15, T16). The corresponding sub-surface temperatures were 1-5C above-average in the far eastern equatorial Pacific (Fig. T17).

 

Also during January, the lower-level wind were near average over much of the equatorial Pacific, while the upper-level wind anomalies were easterly over the eastern equatorial Pacific (Table T1, Figs. T20, T21). Meanwhile, tropical convection was slightly enhanced around the Date Line and near average over Indonesia (Fig. T25). Collectively, these oceanic and atmospheric anomalies were consistent with weakening El Nino conditions.

 

For the latest status of the ENSO cycle see the ENSO Diagnostic Discussion at: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/index.html