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Where did El Nino go? Heat, dry spell stoke drought worry

February 12, 2016
A walker takes advantage of the clearing skies to stroll past rain puddles at Lake Balboa Park in Lake Balboa, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. The tail-end of a series of several El Nino-driven storms brought scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to Southern California Thursday along with pounding surf and serious winds. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)

A walker takes advantage of the clearing skies to stroll past rain puddles at Lake Balboa Park in Lake Balboa, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. (AP, file)

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Where did El Nino go?

Ten days with record heat and no rain have Californians worrying about the drought again.

The strong El Nino had brought the state near-normal rain and snow this winter, raising hopes that four years of record dry conditions were over.

But highs surging to 95 degrees in Southern California have surfers and golfers out in February.
Climate researcher Sam Iacobellis with Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego says this El Nino so far hasn’t brought the strong rain and other weather patterns that meteorologists expect with big El Ninos.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service say it’s normal to have some long dry spells even during strong El Ninos.

Forecasters expect some rain next week, after more record highs in much of the West.