Is El Niño Really on the Way?

Water temp readings in the Pacific indicate we could see a wet, surf-filled season next winter

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Drizzly, flat, cold-water, southwind mornings aren’t exactly the stuff surf dreams are made of, but for the past month or so, that’s what’s been on tap for area surfers. Besides the odd dose of waist- to chesthigh surf and a rare sunny day or two, the last gasp of winter and early throes of spring have been disappointing to say the least.

“I’ve surfed once in the last month,” confided one hopeless friend.

“I don’t know if I even surf anymore,” pondered another.

Judging by the Surfline forecast, by the time you read this, we may have just enjoyed a fun-sized southern pulse—let’s hope it fills in bigger and more consistent than the models are predicting.

Looking out a little further, reason to hope could be on the horizon. Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric