How Could An El Niño Affect Hurricane Season In Tampa Bay?

What will the upcoming hurricane season in Tampa Bay be like? Apparently, we've been in a La Niña season. But El Niño could be here this summer.

Our friends at News Channel 8 do a "climate classroom" and explain what this changing pattern could mean for us in Tampa Bay during the hurricane season.

So what is La Niñia? It's when there are sea surface waters that are cool in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The trade winds blow the water up. Once they calm down, the warm water from below goes back into the Eastern Pacific. This starts the El Niño cyle, which is the opposite of La Niñia.

The subtropical jet stream kicks up during El Niño. This typically causes more rain in the southern part of the country (including Tampa Bay), especially during late fall and winter.

Because of the warmer water during El Niño, there's more wind shear in the Eastern Pacific, which results in fewer Atlantic season storms. El Niño summers and La Niña summers over the past 30 years. The difference is stark. When it's a La Niña season, this results in historically three times more hurricanes.

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Growing up in the Tampa Bay area has been so much fun because I've been able to experience Gasparilla from so many different angles. In my twenties, I was pretty focused on the Ybor City night parade. I don't exactly remember all of those moments.

I went through my photos from the past decade or so and recalled memories of Gasparilla in the past. Back in 2015, I was hosting a TV show with Debra Schrils, and the week leading up to the Gasparilla parade was always fun because we had guests from various floats, crews, and non-profit organizations come on the show.

It's always fun to wander up and down Bayshore Blvd and either watch the parade or go to parties in houses along Bayshore, but in 2016, I experienced my first Gasparilla by boat. That's my favorite way just because it is so cool being part of the flotilla.

The best part of Gasparilla is the people watching and you can do that by land or by sea.

We introduced my oldest daughter to Gasparilla when she was one years old. We took her down to our friend's condo on Bayshore, and we walked down by the floats before they took off in the parade. Then we watched the parade from the balcony of the condo.

Last year, MJ was named Grand Marshall of the night parade in Ybor City so we went to meet him and rode in the jeep through the parade with him. It was a blast throwing out beads.

Whatever you do at Gasparilla, make sure you don't drive if you are drinking and try to stay with your group. I believe Gasparilla is the third biggest festival in the country. I know Mardi Gras would be number one. It's so much fun and so unique to Tampa.