The effect of the MJO on the North American monsoon

Abstract

The effect of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) in the eastern Pacific on the North American monsoon is documented using NCEP-NCAR reanalysis and daily mean precipitation data from 1958 to 2003. It is found that positive zonal wind anomalies in the eastern tropical Pacific lead to above-normal precipitation in northwest Mexico and Arizona from several days to over a week later. This connection between the tropical Pacific and monsoon precipitation appears to be limited to regions influenced by moisture surges from the Gulf of California as a similar connection does not exist for New Mexico precipitation. The evidence suggests that the MJO might affect monsoon precipitation by modulating the strength of low-level easterly waves off the coast of Mexico, which in turn triggers the development of a gulf surge. © 2006 American Meteorological Society.