Some experts are weighing in on the social media rumors that El Nino is coming back in 2017. Posts recently circulated on Twitter and Facebook saying that weather reports are calling for El Nino activity in 2017 based on warming in certain parts of the world’s oceans.
It would be odd to experience an El Nino weather pattern so close on the heels of 2015’s El Nino. Historically, weather trends tend to alternate between El Nino and La Nina with neutral conditions in between; 2016 would have represented neutral conditions. If anything, say experts, it would be more likely to experience La Nina conditions in 2017.
According to Weather Underground, El Nino’s cycle tends to be every two to six years, and the El Nino itself lasts one to two years. Neutral conditions tend to account for 50 percent of the time with El Nino and La Nina splitting the other time periods fairly evenly. While those trends do seem to point to a La Nina likelihood, they also don’t fully discount an El Nino pattern in 2017.
While it’s nice to have forewarning, Mother Nature usually doesn’t work that way, so residents and property owners in southern California should always be prepared. That means ensuring buildings and homes are properly constructed and maintained to weather both drought and heavy rain conditions.
If you do find yourself in a heavy rainfall that damages your home, consider working with legal professionals to understand your options for reparations. If construction defects or issues were at fault in the damage, you might be able to seek financial compensation or have the repairs made under warranty claims.
Source: Forbes, “What Experts Think Of Speculation That El Niño Will Return In 2017,” Marshall Shepherd, Jan. 17, 2017