PORTLAND, Ore. — "The Blob" v La Niña! Is this the climate version of Godzilla vs. King Kong with our winter weather serving as the monster-mutilated backdrop that is Tokyo in the movie?

Or is the blob merely child's play for La Niña ?

Look, seasonal forecasting is tricky, and there are LOTS of large-scale climate processes that factor into it. Marine heat waves, which is what the blob is, are definitely one of them. And they are very concerning from an ecological point of view, especially as they become more frequent with our warming climate.

From a meteorological point of view, I usually don't get too worked up about the blob. It's an oceanic response to atmospheric conditions, as opposed to El Niño/La Niña, which are oceanic conditions that the atmosphere responds to. Let me e

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