El Niño causes warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures along the Pacific Coast.

El Niño is a climatic phenomenon that leads to unusually warm ocean temperatures along the Pacific Coast. It occurs when the trade winds weaken, allowing warm waters from the western Pacific to flow eastward toward the Americas. This shift disrupts typical ocean currents and weather patterns, often causing warmer water temperatures, changes in marine ecosystems, and altered weather conditions. El Niño events, which typically happen every 2 to 7 years, can lead to increased rainfall, milder winters, and have significant environmental and economic consequences for coastal regions along the Pacific.