Uploaded March 2014 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
When cooler-than-average ocean surface temperature emerges in the Pacific Ocean, rainfall patterns shift westward. More atmospheric disturbance there fuels the Jet Stream and alters prevailing weather conditions throughout the United States. This is one of the most influential "teleconnections" in climate science.
Video produced by the Climate.gov team in cooperation with climate and Earth scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies and institutions. Any opinions voiced by people in these videos are their own; they are not official NOAA statements or opinions. Unless specifically stated otherwise, Climate.gov video productions can be freely republished or re-purposed by others.
When cooler-than-average ocean surface temperature emerges in the Pacific Ocean, rainfall patterns shift westward. More atmospheric disturbance there fuels the Jet Stream and alters prevailing weather conditions throughout the United States. This is one of the most influential "teleconnections" in climate science.
Video produced by the Climate.gov team in cooperation with climate and Earth scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies and institutions. Any opinions voiced by people in these videos are their own; they are not official NOAA statements or opinions. Unless specifically stated otherwise, Climate.gov video productions can be freely republished or re-purposed by others.
