Is El Niño about to reshape the Pacific again?
The Excerpt
USA TODAY
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 12 minutes
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Summary
La Niña may be gone, but its impact doesn’t end when the pattern fades, according to a new study from NOAA researchers and the Cooperative Institute. Now, as scientists watch for signs that El Niño could emerge in the Pacific, there are growing concerns about what comes next, including the possible return of an ocean heat wave known as “the Blob.” USA TODAY National Correspondent for Climate and the Environment Dinah Voyles Pulver joins The Excerpt to discuss the lingering impacts of La Niña and the potential impact of El Niño.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Leninia may be gone, but its impact doesn't end when the pattern fades, according to a new study from NOAA researchers and the Cooperative Institute. |
| 0:14.4 | Now, as scientists watch for signs that El Nino could emerge in the Pacific, there are growing concerned about what comes next, including |
| 0:22.0 | the possible return of an ocean heat wave known as the blob. |
| 0:30.9 | Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Monday, May 11, |
| 0:36.8 | 2026. Joining me now to discuss the lingering impact excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Monday, May 11, 26. |
| 0:38.9 | Joining me now to discuss the lingering impacts of La Nina and the potential impact of El Nino |
| 0:44.7 | is USA Today National Correspondent for Climate and the Environment, Dinah Voles Polver. |
| 0:51.3 | So good to have you here, Dinah. Thank you so much. It's good to be here. |
| 0:55.2 | Then at first, this new study suggests that Lenina's influence doesn't end when the pattern |
| 1:01.4 | fade. What stood out to you the most in the research? For me, one of the most surprising |
| 1:06.6 | things is that the research is really backing up the fact that the effects of leninia can linger, |
| 1:12.7 | and they can linger for months after a leninia officially ends. And that creates a strong link |
| 1:19.3 | between the fall leninia. When there's a linina in the fall, it increases wildfire activity the |
| 1:26.6 | following spring and into the summer, |
| 1:29.2 | according to this new study. So that to me was really interesting. It even found that in the |
| 1:34.5 | south and the southwest, that the wildfire risk can more than double. So it really underscores |
| 1:40.5 | how the patterns don't just flip on and flip off. The effects linger for quite some time. |
| 1:46.3 | Leningia faded in early April from a weather and climate perspective. What did it leave in its wake |
| 1:52.4 | across the U.S., especially when it comes to drought? It left things very dry across much of the southeast, |
| 2:00.2 | especially in parts of Florida and Georgia, where they are |
| 2:03.4 | looking at some of the worst drought they've had in years. And so even though here again, even though |
| 2:08.9 | Lenini has officially ended, its influence is still visible when you look at the drought maps |
... |
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