#ElNino hits the news again. Learn more. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/11/will-el-nino-rains-end-californias-drought-342/

National forecasters announced that an El Niño weather pattern is gaining strength, making people believe that will be a wet winter, especially since the temperature stopped being as high as it used to, and people have seen a few raindrops around Sacramento.

But the announced phenomenon is late and, according to forecasters, El Niño is not likely to affect California, yet.

What is El Niño?

This is a warming of the water off the Pacific coast of South America. El Niño rains are well-known for their strength, ranging from weak to very strong.

The past winter was a weak one but now, a stronger El Niño appears to be expected. It is also known that there aren’t two alike.

When are El Niño rains expected?

According to the forecast, El Niño rains had developed in March. Recently National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that El Niño is strengthening.

This is the reason why specialists believe there is more than 90 percent chance for this to continue through next winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

In addition, forecasters stated that there is an impressive chance chance it will last into the early spring of 2016.

Furthermore, in accordance with the federal Climate Prediction Center there is a possibility that many other things affect California’s rainy season, since the weather is unpredictable, offering no guarantees.

So, we should expect the El Niño when the water will be warm enough. It was quite warm, but not enough, so it didn’t trigger important changes in the wind directions, until now. However this year, it will definitely happen.

Is California’s Drought Ending?

People hope the wet season will end the drought California has been suffering of. However in order for this to be possible, a lot of cold enough storms able to bulk up the Sierra snowpack are needed. If it happens, the melting spring snow will continue to fill reservoirs.

And even with all of these happening there is no guarantee that the deficits created by the drought would disappear. As far as we know, the largest El Niño rains couldn’t erase California’s already famous drought. So, is this time going to be different?

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Nature is amazing and unpredictable. Why not bring that inside?:

Will El Niño Rains End California"s Drought?

They never get old. - http://clapway.com/2015/06/30/why-abisko-is-the-best-place-to-experience-northern-lights/

Experiencing the spectacular Northern Lights is probably everyone’s dream, although standing in freezing cold weather for hours in the darkness waiting and hoping for the lights to appear might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Abisko: 200km north of the Arctic Circle

In January, I visited Abisko in (very) northern Sweden, one of the best known places in Lapland. My trip included standing for up to four hours in -40°F in complete darkness, but the spectacular northern lights phenomenon was worth the wait and the pain.

Abisko is also where “Kungsleden” starts, the country’s biggest and most famous trail which measures over 400km and attracts thousands of hardcore nature-lovers every year.

In the winter, though, people travel there to see fluorescent green lights dancing in the sky and experience the arctic circle’s dark winter days. As a matter of fact, the sun almost never rises during the season. However, as many of you imagine it being completely dark, note that it is more close to “dawn” for a few hours per day, with the snow playing a big role in brighting up the atmosphere.

Lonely Planet’s best spot for Auroras

The UN has named 2015 the International “Year of Light” and Lonely Planet chose Abisko as the number one place (in a top 10 released last year) to experience the Northern Lights. What makes this location a great spot is the likelihood of clear skies due to its geographical position. Abisko is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, which often help in keeping clouds away and increasing the number of clear nights.

A cloudless sky is essential for you to experience the Northern Lights and so is complete darkness. So, being anywhere in Lapland is not enough. You ought to find the right spot far from any kind of light pollution and hope that no clouds get in the way.

As we are talking about nature and not fiction, Northern Lights might take time to appear. They start by being weak and fade with the sky, which is the main reason why, at first, they are often confused with clouds. However, experts told me there that the way to differentiate a could from an “aurora” at its early stage, is to check if stars are still visible behind it. Clouds would impede the view of anything they cover, while northern lights don’t.

Never go without a good camera

One great piece of advice is not to travel all the way to Lapland without a very good camera and a tripod. If you rely on your iPhone, you will end up with a number of pitch black shots which could be quite disappointing. So, make sure you have a high quality device with you which is able to shoot pictures with high exposure.

If you don’t have a good camera (like in my case), you can rent one there through organised expeditions. I took all the photos below in Abisko this winter:

 

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Sometimes you just want to capture the spectacle that is natural phenomena. Atmoph may help you do that!:

Why Abisko is the Best Place to Experience Northern Lights

Don"t Leave Switzerland Without Trying These 3 Dishes - http://clapway.com/2015/06/01/dont-leave-switzerland-without-trying-these-3-dishes/

Switzerland, this small country in central Europe is probably best known for its cheese, chocolates and watches. Also named Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera and Svizra, it is a peaceful country that houses two of the top cities with the highest quality of life in the world: Geneva and Zurich. The country is divided by four distinct linguistic and cultural regions; German, French, Italian and Romansh all of which are strongly connected with their neighboring countries. I had the opportunity lo live in the French part of Switzerland for three years, where I had some of the best experiences in my life.

The cuisine in Switzerland varies from region to region, and the most popular and traditional dish tends to be cheese fondue, especially during the cold winter. Although nobody can argue fondue is delicious, there are other dishes I would encourage you to try when visiting this amazing country.

Fondue aux tomates- This variation of fondue is very popular in the Canton of Valais in the southwest of Switzerland. This fondue is made out of cheese and tomato and is served either with pieces of bread or “pommes de terres” also known as steamed potatoes. The best way to eat this is to cut the potato in half and pour the fondue on top of the potato.

Raclette- From the French word “racler” which means to scrape. This popular dish is made up of pieces of cheese which are melted either with fire or in a special machine, and then scraped on the plate. The cheese is accompanied with steamed potatoes, dried meat or pickled onions. During the winter, many restaurants offer raclette tastings with different types of cheese from emmental to gruyere, for guests to enjoy. Drinking wine is recommended when you eat raclette so it breaks the grease making digestion easier, trust me on this, I wish I had known the first time I tried raclette.

Vin Chaud- If you visit Switzerland during the cold months, hot wine is a must to stay warm. This is a secret Swiss people enjoy to stay warm during the frigid temperatures. Hot wine is prepared with fruit and cinnamon and is served in bars, restaurants and ski resorts, equivalent to a hot cider or ponche. Its the perfect drink for apres skiing while hanging out with close friends.

There are certainly other interesting dishes in Switzerland that are more influenced by German and Italian cooking. Hope you enjoy these dishes next time you visit the alps! For more information and tips on traveling and food in Mexico and abroad visit michelleonbell.com.

Don"t Leave Switzerland Without Trying These 3 Dishes