Tropical
Highlights - September 2016
Sea surface
temperatures (SSTs) were slightly below-average over
the east-central equatorial Pacific during September 2016 (Fig. T18, Table T2).
The latest monthly
Niņo indices were -0.2°C for the Niņo 3
region, -0.6°C
for the Niņo 3.4 region, and +0.5°C for the Niņo 1+2 region (Table
T2, Fig. T5). The depth of the oceanic thermocline
(measured by the depth of the 20°C isotherm) remained below-average across the
central and eastern equatorial Pacific (Figs. T15,
T16), and
the corresponding sub-surface temperatures were 1-2°C below average (Fig. T17).
Also during September, the lower-level
winds were near-average across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific,
while upper-level westerly anomalies were seen near the Date Line, just south
of the equator (Table T1, Figs. T20, T21). Meanwhile, suppressed convection was observed
across the eastern and central equatorial Pacific (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