When the jet stream splits in two, it tends to cause fewer hurricanes in the Southeast, unusually wet weather in California and drier winters in the Northwest. While California receives more rain than usual, areas such as Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Africa often witness droughts. These droughts can lead to famine and disease. The 1983 El Nino produced many ecological effects in the Pacific Ocean, severely damaging the coral population. In the eastern Pacific, elevated sea surface temperatures and a large increase in rainfall resulted in the death and migration of fish and sea bird populations.
Many guano producing sea birds desert their nests, migrate, or die.
The causes and effects of El Nino are only now beginning to be understood. Scientists will be studying this year's El Nino closely in an effort to learn more about its global impact. Each El Nino is different than the last, so it's difficult to forecast, with any accuracy, exactly what effect an El Nino will have. However, historically, El Nino has caused the D.C. area to experience wetter winters. El Nino may also cause an elevation in average temperatures, although this increase is more evident in areas such as Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and particularly in states such as North and South Dakota, Montana, and Wisconsin.