La Nina spoils the Ausy Big Distance season

It is well worth keeping an eye on the El Nino, La Nina cycles when planning your next paragliding adventure trip. With a strong La Nina developing (strongest since 1999), Australia is now suffering from cloudy, damp conditions and the Oz report mentions that the Australian Record Encampment has been postponed, probably indefinitely.

La Nina events are generally not good for Southern Hemisphere big distance flying with both Australia and eastern South Africa experiencing cooler and wetter conditions. Although predicted to be wetter, the Ceara area of Brazil does seem to have benefitted from La Nina with a new world open distance record; perhaps the added moisture allows earlier starts. The Eastern Pacific is predicted to drier and Argentina and Southern Brazil suffer from later frosts and drought conditions so possibily this is another place to go!

So what about Texas in July next year? Unfortunately, La Nina is also said to favor the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin by suppressing the wind shear that tears apart embryonic storms. (10 storms during El Nino in 2006, 28 during weak La Nina in 2005!).

With all this in mind, there is less correlation between record flights and ONI cycles in Texas, which goes to show that you only need one good day! Its just that in La Nina years, you may have to be more patient!