Tropical cyclones[edit]
Most tropical cyclones form on the side of the subtropical ridge closer to the equator, then move poleward past the ridge axis before recurving into the main belt of the Westerlies.[20] When the subtropical ridge position shifts due to El Niño, so will the preferred tropical cyclone tracks. Areas west of Japan and Korea tend to experience much fewer September–November tropical cyclone impacts during El Niño and neutral years. During El Niño years, the break in the subtropical ridge tends to lie near 130°E, which would favor the Japanese archipelago.[21] During El Niño years, Guam's chance of a tropical cyclone impact is one-third of the long-term average.[22] The tropical Atlantic ocean experiences depressed activity due to increased vertical wind shear across the region during El Niño years.[23] On the flip side, however, the tropical Pacific Ocean east of the dateline has above-normal activity during El Niño years due to water temperatures well above average and decreased windshear.[24] Most of the recorded East Pacific category 5 hurricanes occur during El Niño years in clusters.