Are we always in El Nino or La Nina all year round or is there a time when we in neither???

Question

Are we always in El Nino or La Nina all year round or is there a time when we in neither???

Answer 1

El Nino's and La Nina's typically last a year or two, with a period in between of near normal conditions when one event translates to another, so yes, there are times when neither is occurring. The effects of these events are typically more pronounced during the Winter,  though El Nino tends to suppress Atlantic tropical activity in the Summer months.

Answer 2

We can be in neither, those are called "neutral" conditions.

Here is a link to a plot of an index that tells how strong El Nino/La Nina is.  If we are near zero the conditions are neutral.  Greater than +1 we'd call it an El Nino and less than -1 it would be a La Nina, but the limits depend on who you're talking to.

http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/people/klaus.wol...