Discrete Rainfall Predictability Using El Niño/Southern Oscillation Interaction

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the probability of occurrence of wet or dry season events, based on the phase of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon using multinomial logit regression models. The study used monthly time series of the Pacific equatorial sea surface temperature (SST), a sea level pressure index (SOI) and rainfall anomalies over a 2.5x2.5 degrees grid along the west coast of Central and South America, for latitudes starting at 25N, through 45S, since 1951 to 2011. We defined an ENSO index (NSO) as predictor and rainfall as response. Data was categorized into terciles to construct non symmetrical three way contingency table. As results, we generated latitudinal profiles of the predictability (association), for the West Coast of Central and South America, using ENSO as predictor.