Is El Niño back?
Hot May, wet June, means weather is still the topic

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Clifton Trujillo
Independent intern

GALLUP — The month of May brought with it skin shriveling heat, June, “Great Flood” rains, and now with July, it’s hot, hot, hot. Why?

According to The Associated Press, El Niño might just be the cause. El Niño, which occurs when the Pacific Ocean temperature rises, brings on moist conditions in the central portion of the United States and central Chile, and more hurricanes on the Eastern Pacific than the Atlantic.

According to the AP, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said sea surface temperature had risen to 1.8 degrees above normal in June in the Eastern Pacific.

So what does this mean for Gallup? “Not much,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Tom Kines said. Despite a possible resurfacing of El Niño, Kines said, it would have, “little to no effect on Gallup weather.” Kines did say the next few months would see more than usual rainfall.

To read more subscribe to the Gallup Independent by calling (505) 863-6811 or purchase the paper at the newstand.