Tropical
Highlights – January 2013
During January 2013, the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) remained colder-than-average across the eastern and east-central
equatorial Pacific (Fig. T18, Table
T2). The latest monthly
Niño indices were -0.4°C for the Niño 3.4 region
and
-0.5°C for the Niño 1+2 region
(Table T2,
Fig. T5). Consistent
with these conditions, the depth of the oceanic thermocline (measured
by the depth of the 20°C isotherm) remained below average
across the eastern and east-central equatorial Pacific (Figs. T15, T16), where
corresponding sub-surface temperatures were 1-5°C below average (Fig. T17).
The
Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) remained near average during January, with the
latest monthly index value being -0.1 (Table
T1). Meanwhile, the equatorial low-level
easterly trade winds remained near-average across the equatorial Pacific (Table T1, Fig. T20). Enhanced convection was seen across Indonesia
and the western equatorial Pacific during the month (Figs. T25, E3). Collectively, these oceanic and
atmospheric anomalies reflect ENSO-neutral conditions.
For the
latest status of the ENSO cycle see the ENSO Diagnostic Discussion at:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/index.html