El Niño caused an estimated $35 billion in destruction and over 23,000 deaths around the world from 1997-98. If scientists are correct, the phenomenon's impending return may be just as devastating.
While they tend to be unpredictably strong or weak, El Niño events always trigger changing weather patterns across the globe that raise ocean temperatures and increase chances of rain. Up until last March, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association researchers weren't even sure this version of El Niño would pan out.
Earlier this year, climate forecasters observed sea surface temperatures of 3.6°F in the Pacific Ocean. Similar levels have been recorded three times since 1950, each correlating with El Niño events.
Scientists hoped El Niño indicators would fizzle throughout the summer. Instead, they got stronger, and exceedingly dangerous in places ravaged by droughts.
Water scarcity and rising temperatures in Asia have a direct implication on food production. Parched farms can't grow crops. Fisherman are finding once-thriving fish communities barren, as fish head deeper into comfortable ocean temperatures.
A report released by the NOAA predicts El Niño to continue into early spring 2016, though it's already had a negative global impact. Its impact in the United States, however, appears to be more favorable.
El Niño could potentially bring much-needed rain to drought-stricken California, where four consecutive weeks of precipitation led to the wettest February on record in 1998. While NOAA's Emily Becker says this weather pattern shows signs of bringing relief, she warns that not even the slightest amount of rain isn't guaranteed.
"In other words, even a strong El Nino is not a sure-fire drought-buster for California, so it's not time to stop conserving water, especially given how entrenched this drought is," Becker wrote in Climate.gov post. "However, a strong El Nino does increase the chance of more precipitation overall during the winter, and also bring the potential for extreme rainfall."
"This may alleviate the drought, but can also lead to mudslides and flooding."
El Niño would have to generate about three times California's average yearly rainfall to pull out of this four-year-long drought. Even then, too much rain would bring floods to areas torched by wildfires. These fires burn off vegetation need to be used as roadblocks.
In February 1998, California officials reported over $550 million in damages. Thirty-five counties were declared federal disaster areas following 17 storm-related deaths. The difference between now and then is that wildfires weren't as prevalent 17 years ago.
El Niño leads to an increases hurricane activity in the Pacific while lowering it across the Atlantic. Storms are spread out across each ocean, thereby decreasing hurricanes on the east coast and, in some cases, less tornado activity in the Midwest.
Because of this, northern U.S. states - including those along the Great Lakes - and Canada will likely experience above-normal average temperatures through spring 2016. Meanwhile, southern states, should remain relatively cool albeit with good amounts of rain, depending on how strong El Niño becomes.
"There is a domino effect that arises from the warmer surface waters in the tropical Pacific, and small changes is how later dominos fall can ultimately determine exactly what will happen over the U.S.," Becker said. "While we have more confidence in general impacts over the U.S. in an El Nino because of the shifts in the jet stream, they're not guaranteed."
In speaking to the L.A. Times, NASA climatologist William Patzert said "this definitely has the potential of becoming the Godzilla El Niño." If it brings heavy rainfall to the U.S. west coast, it would be a welcomed monster.
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