Download Funded in part by a grant from the City`s Special Program through

Funded in part by a grant from the City’s Special Program
through the Houston Arts Alliance.
Factors that Influence Climate
• Solar radiation received at a particular latitude
• Air mass influence
• Location of global high and low pressure zones
• Heat exchange from ocean currents
• Pattern of prevailing winds
• Distribution of mountain barriers
• Altitude
• Distribution of land and sea
Climate Cycles that Influence
Global Weather Patterns
El Niño
La Niña
Drought
Monsoon
Normal Conditions
• Strong easterly trade winds in the tropical Pacific push surface
waters toward the west.
• Waters heat up more as they move toward the western Pacific
Ocean because of longer sun exposure.
• Cooler waters off the coast of Peru in the eastern Pacific due to
upwelling.
El Niño Conditions
• Weaker easterly trade winds in the central and eastern
Pacific Ocean.
• This causes the normal upwelling of the cold water from
below the surface to stop and the warm surface water to
remain.
Effects of El Niño
Winter temperatures are warmer than
normal in the North Central States and
cooler than normal in the Southeast and
the Southwest.
Increase in the
rainfall across
the southern
United States
from Texas to
Florida.
La Niña Conditions
• Stronger than normal easterly trade winds in the central
and eastern Pacific Ocean.
• This causes more upwelling off the western coast of
South America resulting in cooler than normal surface
water across the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Effects of La Niña
Drier and warmer than normal
conditions across much of the
southern United States.
Wetter than
normal
conditions
across the Pacific
Northwest.
Drought
A period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged
for the lack of water to cause serious hydrologic
imbalance in the affected area.
Causes serious problems such as
crop damage and/or water
supply shortages.
Monsoon
A period of seasonal winds; strongest on
the southern and eastern sides of Asia.
For more information, visit the
INTERACTIVE
CLIMATE ZONE
EXHIBIT
at The Weather Museum
Funded in part by a grant from the City’s Initiative Program through
the Houston Arts Alliance.