The butterfly effect suggests that small changes in a system can have a large impact on eventual outcomes. One metaphor used to illustrate this concept is a butterfly flapping its wings only to cause a hurricane across the ocean. While meteorologists’ current cause-and-effect understanding of weather isn’t this granular, researchers are actively investigating how changes in temperature, rainfall, wind patterns, etc. can impact weather phenomena halfway across the world.
El Niño and La Niña transitions affect tropical cyclone development half a world away
