Student Research Reports

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Since 1995, Kingsburg High School has collected rainwater data on campus as part of the GLOBE Program, started by former science teacher Peggy Foletta. Since November 2024, rainfall has been collected more consistently, and observations continue to be collected and recorded. After looking through the data, the following research question was posed: Is there a correlation between El Niño and La Niña (El Niño Southern Oscillation, ENSO) weather patterns and precipitation in Kingsburg, California, over the past 30 years? El Niño is a climate pattern in which weakened trade winds allow warm water to shift eastward, often increasing rainfall in the eastern Pacific and drought in the western Pacific. La Niña is the opposite, with stronger trade winds that push warm water westward, resulting in cooler waters and generally drier conditions along the west coast of North America (oceanservice.noaa.gov). These events occur approximately every 2-7 years, though not always in a fixed schedule (ggweather.com). Analysis of the liquid accumulation data from 1995-2025 shows that rainfall patterns in Kingsburg slightly align with California drought conditions and ENSO cycles, with reduced precipitation during droughts and La Niña years, and increased rainfall during strong El Niño events. These findings indicate similarities to broader Pacific climate patterns with a slight correlation, but more consistent and accurate data would be needed.