Federal Agencies Scale Back El Niño Research Efforts

Why it matters locally: While the immediate impact of reduced El Niño research is uncertain, El Niño weather patterns typically bring wetter and warmer winters to Utah, affecting snowpack and water resources.

Federal agencies are reducing the scope of their research into El Niño this year, a shift from the intensified efforts during the 2015 event. Forecasters note the current El Niño conditions are already affecting weather patterns worldwide. In 2015, during a strong El Niño, federal agencies increased research activities. They aimed to enhance weather forecasting capabilities. This year, officials confirm current research will not match that previous level of activity. The 2015 El Niño correlated with various weather phenomena. These included substantial flooding in South Carolina, which involved record rainfall totals. Forecasters have indicated the intensity of the developing El Niño conditions may equal or exceed that of the 2015 event.