According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, El Niño is officially here, and with it comes a change from the La Niña weather New Zealand has experienced over the past three years. In particular, the shift from prevailing north-easterly to south-west regions means that New Zealand is one of the few countries to experience cooler conditions during El Niño. But what "flavor" will this El Niño have? Time will tell, but El Niño has been lurking for some time. Evidence of its imminent arrival could be seen last year in subsurface ocean temperatures, with warm water accumulating in the Coral Sea and western tropical Pacific. Moreover, it was overdue. When La Niña finally gave up in March of this year, global sea surface temperatures were suddenly the highest on record (Figure 1 below) as the tropical Pacific suddenly began to warm. (Kevin Trenberth, The Conversation)

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