The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) leads to periods of cooler- and warmer-than-normal waters around the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean. La Niña occurs when water temperatures in this area of the Pacific run at least 0.5°C cooler than normal for several consecutive months. El Niño is the warm-water opposite of La Niña.

Hurricane Kiko regains strength as a Category 4 storm as it moves west on Saturday towards the Central Pacific.

Forecasters warned that swells from Hurricane Kiko could reach the Hawaiian Islands by the end of the weekend and cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.

It forms when the jet stream dips over the East and West Coasts while a ridge builds over the Central Plains. This setup allows storms to track along the jet stream, bringing unsettled weather to both coasts.

Odds are looking better that La Niña will start soon, the Climate Prediction Center said Thursday, but its impacts may be short-lived this year.

Hurricane Kiko is expected to bring dangerous surf conditions to the waters off Hawaii by the end of the weekend.

Thanks to a lower-level to mid-level ridge of high atmospheric pressure over Texas, hot and dry weather will continue Thursday and Friday.

A series of disturbances moving along this pattern will bring periods of rain, with the best chance Thursday through Friday and another round of showers Friday through early Saturday.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a tropical wave off the coast of Africa. Will it impact South Carolina? See location