1877/78 Super El Niņo, The year without a winter Options

[snowguy716]

Here is an excellent writeup from the University of Minnesota Climate division on what remains the warmest winter on record in the period of record (though modern records are considered to be after 1891... so this one is not often cited).

http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/wint77_78.html

Also below is a graph showing the extreme warmth that began in November and lasted through April.

http://home.att.net/~minn_climo/MSP7778.gif

Another strong El Niņo in 1888/89 also meant a warm winter, though that winter was only way above average... not sizzling.

It should be pointed out that like the the super El Niņo of 1997/98, the following winters of both the 1877/78 and 1888/89 events were quite warm.

When you warm the ocean that much, it has residual effects for years to come.

[Beck]

Another notoriously mild winter was the 2001-2002 winter, which was not El Nino-induced at all. Waters in the equitorial Pacific were Neutral for that whole winter.

http://home.att.net/~minn_climo/MSP0102.gif