Tropical
Highlights - August 2018
Sea surface
temperatures (SSTs) remained near-average across
the central and eastern equatorial Pacific during August 2018 (Fig. T18, Table T2). The latest monthly Niņo indices were +0.2°C for
the Niņo 3 region, +0.3°C for the Niņo 3.4 region, and +0.1°C for the Niņo 1+2 region (Table
T2, Fig. T5). The depth of the oceanic thermocline
(measured by the depth of the 20°C isotherm) was above-average in the central
equatorial Pacific (Figs. T15, T16), and the
corresponding sub-surface temperatures were 1-3°C above average (Fig. T17).
Also during August, the lower-level
easterly winds were weaker-than-average (indicated by westerly anomalies) across
most of the equatorial Pacific, while the upper-level winds were near-average
over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (Table T1, Figs. T20,
T21). Meanwhile, convection was suppressed over
Indonesia and the central equatorial Pacific (Figs. T25, E3). Collectively, these oceanic and
atmospheric anomalies reflect ENSO-neutral 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