Tropical
Highlights - November 2018
Sea surface
temperatures (SSTs) remained above-average across
the equatorial Pacific during November 2018 (Fig. T18, Table T2).
The latest monthly
Niņo indices were +0.7°C for the Niņo 1+2
region, and +1.0°C
for the Niņo 3.4 and Niņo 3 regions
(Table T2,
Fig. T5). The depth
of the oceanic thermocline (measured by the depth of the 20°C isotherm) was above-average
across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (Figs. T15, T16), and the corresponding sub-surface
temperatures were 1-5°C above average (Fig.
T17).
Also during November, the lower-level
easterly winds were slightly weaker-than-average (indicated by westerly
anomalies) over much of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (Table T1, Fig. T20), while the upper-level westerly winds anomalies
were near-average across the equatorial Pacific (Fig. T21). Meanwhile, convection was suppressed
over Indonesia and enhanced over the wester equatorial Pacific (Figs. T25, E3). Collectively, these oceanic and
atmospheric anomalies reflect ENSO-neutral, but with continued evolution toward
El Niņo.
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
www.nws.noaa.gov
