The 2002-03 El Ni簽o is unlike the recent El Ni簽o of 1997-98. The image above shows that the warmest sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (departure from normal) are concentrated in the central equatorial Pacific. Areas in red indicate warmer than normal temperatures and areas in blue show cooler than normal temperatures. Arrows indicate wind anomalies. The converging wind anomalies in the equatorial Pacific are keeping the warmest SST anomalies from the west coast of South America. During the 1997-1998 El Ni簽o, the warmest SST anomalies were right up against the South American coast. Historically, El Ni簽o's effects on the United States' weather were greatest when the warmest SST anomalies were near the coast of South America. Thus, history suggests the present El Ni簽o's effects on the United States' weather should be moderate. Sea Surface Temperature data from the Advanced Microwave Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E), courtesy Remote Sensing Systems. Wind anomaly data courtesy QuikSCAT science team.