NWS Miami Dry Season 2008-2009 Outlook issued

[jinftl]

Excerpt from Outlook released on 10/30/08 by NWS Miami...

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
900 AM EDT THU OCT 30 2008

...DRY SEASON 2008-2009 OUTLOOK...
...DRIER THAN NORMAL WINTER AND SPRING POSSIBLE OVER SOUTH FLORIDA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI`S LONG RANGE OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH
FLORIDA FOR THE UPCOMING WINTER AND SPRING SEASONS OF 2008-2009 IS
FOR AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL AND NEAR NORMAL
TEMPERATURES. SEVERAL FACTORS GO INTO THE DETERMINATION OF EXPECTED
LONG RANGE PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE TRENDS. ONE KEY FACTOR IS
THE EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION, OR ENSO, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF
SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN AND
ATMOSPHERIC INFLUENCES WHICH AFFECT LARGE SCALE WEATHER SYSTEMS
WORLDWIDE. THE WARM WATER PHASE OF THIS PHENOMENON IS REFERRED TO AS
EL NINO, WHILE THE COLD WATER PHASE IS KNOWN AS LA NINA. THE CURRENT
ENSO PHASE IS NEUTRAL, WHICH MEANS THAT THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC SEA
SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE NEAR NORMAL. THE FORECAST ENSO PHASE FOR
THE UPCOMING WINTER AND SPRING SEASONS IS FOR A CONTINUATION OF NEAR
NORMAL TO POSSIBLY A WEAK COOL, OR LA NINA, EVENT IN EARLY 2009...


...SOUTH FLORIDIANS ARE URGED TO STAY INFORMED OF POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE WINTER AND SPRING. WHILE THE DRY
SEASON IS HIGHLIGHTED BY SUNNY AND PLEASANT WEATHER, HAZARDOUS
WEATHER CAN AND DOES OCCUR. THE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASED DRYNESS
COULD LEAD TO AN INCREASED WILDFIRE THREAT NEXT SPRING, WHILE RIP
CURRENTS ARE A COMMON THREAT AT LOCAL BEACHES THROUGHOUT THE DRY
SEASON. COLD SNAPS AND FREEZES LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO CROPS
AND CAN SEVERELY IMPACT THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY. STAY TUNED TO
LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION.


MOLLEDA