that's the two faces of el nino. winners and losers, and it depends which side of the coin you are as to whether it's a good or bad thing. >> that's "america tonight"s special look at el nino. tell us what you mining at aljazeera.com/americatonight. talk to us are on twitter or facebook. come back, we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. >> new moms forced to choose. >> the united states does lag behind other countries on this. >> now a revolution in workers' rights... >> my story is so many peoples' story. >> that could decide the election. >> it can be different. >>> happy new year, this is al jazeera america, live from new york city, i'm jonathan betz. fire works. a massive blaze in a dubai skyscraper with tens of thousands nearby >>> midwest floods - hundreds forced from their homes as rivers crest. tonight it is far from over. >> puerto rico is expect to pay back

godzilla el nino. >> this el nino, like all el nino's, is a weather system that begins in the pacific ocean at the equator. >> the pacific covers 30% of the planet. so i always say, when the pacific speaks everybody around the planet better listen. >> understanding el nino begins with the acronym "enso" - or el nino southern oscillation. according to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, every 3 to 7 years surface waters of the tropical pacific ocean warm or cool by 1 degree celsius to 3 degrees celsius compared to normal. >> when this happens all the pieces on the weatherboard around the planet are changed. what was wet becomes drought and vice versa. >> you have the maps up here, we're looking at '97 and we're looking at now. what do you see? >> on the left 1997 very very big event. and we see the same event almost exactly replicated here in 2015. >> in the years since the last el nino, nasa went all out lauching a series of satellites for monitoring the worlds oceans... and predicting weather. >> so you guys are monitoring it as it happens. using what tools? >> the s

el niÑo's here. it's simple what it is. it's just a body of warm water in the eastern equatorial pacific area that influences global weather patterns. and that's what makes it so important to us, is that it could steer more storms and more storms with more moisture in them our way -- hopefully not that much, like we saw there. but that's why it makes it important. >> all right, so, we want to just give folks seven things that they should know about "el niÑo." or should it be the el niÑo effect? >> i like that -- the el niÑo effect, or the el niÑo influence on our weather more so 'cause -- yeah, let's take a look at number one, and we'll run through all those. and number one of the seven things you need to know about el niÑo is that it's not a storm and it's already happening. i mean, it's out there. it's been out there for the last six months. all right, so, number two is the fact that it's an abnormally warm body of ocean water near the equator. it's not anything else other than that. let's tak

it's that big el nino we had back i i1997. now in a typical stronger el nino like this. what we normally see as far as winter, is the warmer air up in and a little on the drier side in parts of the northwest. generally, cool and wet in the southeast and wet in the southwhwt as well. guess whaha that's pretty mumu what we are seeing over the next 90 days. we are looking at warmer than normal temperatures across the northern states and down across the west coast as well. the cool temperatures remaining in much

el nino is not a storm it's not a weather pattern. we're talking about warm water near the equator in the pacific ocean just warming this water a few degrees can cause the jet stream to change course, altering storm tracks and creating temperature trends that can last through a whole season. our current el nino is one of the strongest ever recorded. other parts of the country have already felt el nino's wrath this winter from california's record rainfall that caused flash flooding to heavy snow blanketing the rockies and sierra mountain ranges. >> most of the time a strong el nino event by itself would mean normal. have more precipitation than normal but less snow. doesn't always work out that way. >> reporter: no two el nino episodes are exactly alike. it could last as little as a few months orwell over a year. the current el nino is forecast to last through spring possibly into early summer. in central park, i'm erie c ka erika. >> if you're lamentsing the loss of pluto, there may be a ninth planet. researchers say that the possible

very characteristic of el nino. it has a flow drifting from the south lifting up in a northerly direction. the hardest impact is in the alamo area, moraga, orinda, berkeley, you will be trekking toward the bay bridge, you have the most moderate to heavy rain right now occurring. if you can hold off 30 minutes, it would be advisable. to the north, all impacted by moderate to heavy downpour. we're taking a look at north beach and the marina district with light rain. as you move towards the golden gate bridge, it's more moderate to heavy rain. at this hour we're confirming that but our live camera out there, it's sloppy out there right now. it's mild. you remember last week we left you with 20s and 30s and some very gusty winds adding to a windchill. temperatures are in the 40s and even low 50s. again characteristic of el nino. i want to walk you through your rainy week ahead. we're talking about three separate storms, light rain today. pretty much tapering off after the morning commute. heavier rainfall late tonight a

el nino, we have godzilla el nino, and every storm is blamed on el nino. think of it like this. a baseball team has nine players on the field, right? not just one contributes to the end result of the game every night, usually it's a multitude of the weather. el nino is just the super star right now. hitting for heavy rain, and what we'll watch with el nino, are situations like we saw in december in the nation's midsection, very heavy rain, and last week, we was it in southern california, and every el nino is different. not what we'll have in 2015, 2016. we're learning the nuances of el nino. >> how does it work? is it something happening over the pacific that causes this? >> the warming of the pacific waters off of south america. extend out to several thousands miles. what it does is juice up the jet stream a bit. now you have the warm waters, all the warm moisture gets into the jet stream, the jet stream moves faster to equalize it, and then you have severe thunderstorm out breaks in florida, and the midsections and heavy rain in southern california. and dry weather, if you wil

now another hallmark of el nino. this time punishing the west. and the worse of it still on the way. with our first break in the rain coming just right now, this storm system will only drop a few inches of rain. still, the river behind he is surging tonight. all across this region, we are bracing for flash flooding and the possibility of mudslides. this isn't one big monster storm. instead, it's a series that could cause serious damage. lester? >> miguel almaguer, thank you. >>> the ads claim these games can stave off alzheimer's. it's accused of deceiving customers. >>> tonight, one of the leading companies in the billion dollar business in the so called brain training is facing charges of misleading advertising. it claims its online games and apps can improve cognitive ability and ward off alzheimer's. but now they must offer refunds. >> reporter: the commercials promise life-changing results. >> improving your performance with the science -- >> reporter: for as little as $15 a month lumosity claims it could boost performance, even keep alzheim

our weather in siouxland recently has been very typical of el nino. sioux city's december average temperature was 31 degrees. the normal for december is 22.6, so we were 8.4 degrees above normal. precipitation in siouxland is harder to predict in el nino, as it can go either way. but from december 1 to january 6, sioux city received 11.8" of snow, compared to the normal of 9.0". (tim) fred, what's headed our way? (fred) more snow, then a big cooldown for the weekend! 2 line super: fred hexom fhexom@kcautv.c om (fred) the hd radar shows scattered light snow showers. the port neal welding company skycam hd shows the scene from downtown sioux city. 36 has been the high today and 30 the low. we are are seeing fog again. visibility is especially bad in eastern nebraska, at are in the 30s. the stormcast hd shows that while we could see some light rain, snow, or sleet tonight and early tomorrow, the main threat of measurable rain and snow will be tomorrow afternoon and evening. while southern and eastern siouxland could see rain, most of us will see snow. sn

that's one of the real misconceptions about el nino. we've had dry el nino years. the fact this is a strong el nino increases the odds that we will be above normal, and if -- if history is proving to be right from past strong events, we could be very much above normal. that's -- that's certainly the pattern that we hope will continue on into the spring. >> and do el nino conditions make it harder for you to predict the weather? is it volatile? >> you know, what we have seen with a lot of the storms so far this year and what i remember from being a forecaster in the ae el nino of '97 and '98, el nino is fast-moving storm. we have a hard time keeping up with the fast timing. the overall pattern is actually fairly predictable. it's periodic rain every 24, 36 hours or so, that's what we've seen. and for the next week, 2 1/2 weeks, that will continue. >> timing wise sometimes you miss the mark. what about severity? is it volatile in terms of severity and your ability to predict that? >> no, you know, i think that is something we're pretty good at looking at. the moistur

of el nino. >> reporter: with theni l.a. river rising fast, expected to crest later this week, voluntary evacuations are underway are where there wasrw eraddic fire there is flash flooding. the soilfl can't ubsorb absorb all the rain. and the mountains could get el nino fuelled the deadly flooding in the midwest. 25 people killed, some 150 homes destroyed. now another haul mark of el nino, this time punishing the west and the worst of it still on the way. is here. i know they have such a drought out there. there's going to be flooding problems but they need to fill up the reservoirs, that's the bottom line and they're continuing to do that. and we have one storm that produced all the pictures you saw. on the rim. there will be t another storm move nothing to california today and that will produce another one er 250 to two feet of snow in the sierra. the storm that's now moving through arizona will bring light so, just a little bit of light snow. it's's enough to make it a little slippery at times. and still very cold in nort

---el feÓmeno el fenÓmeno meteorológico conocido con el niÑo amenaza con provocar severas inundaciones en california. esto llevÓ a adoptar diferentes medidas. gonzalo: el fenÓmeno de el niÑo ha puesto al departamento californiano de transporte a redoblar sus esfuerzos de preparaciÓn para mantener el sistema de transporte del estado en funciÓn durante la presencia de niÑo. >> hicimos un ejercicio para ver cÓmo estamos preparados para el niÑo ante de que lleguen las inundaciones. gonzalo: en el simulacro que se efectuÓ el sacramento se coordinÓ la logÍstica en cÓmo se distribuirÁn los recursos en Áreas afectadas. >> los trabajadores estÁn trabajando en las autopistas para prepararnos. gonzalo parte de esta preparaciÓn constituye en limpiar el alcantarillado. >> tenemos que trabajar 24 horas al dÍa. gonzalo: las condiciones meteorolÓgicas es de 70% mÁs que en el Área de los angeles. y la preparaciÓn tecnológica es parte de los recursos para detectar las zonas mÁs afectadas. >> tenemos cÁmaras en las autopistas y es un cambio que no tenÍamos hace 20 aÑos. gonzalo:

experts say el nino might drive more people further north. it could drive another hit to those communities hit by drought. el nino is expected to continue until march bringing more wild weather. guatemala's subsistence farmers hope these predictions are wrong. their families' futures depend on it. david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. >> in whicnext, promises, promid ohio town, a polluting plant and why no one here expects the campaign season will bring any real change. >> every monday night. >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping... inspiring... entertaining. no topic off limits. >> 'cause i'm like, "dad, there are hookers in this house". >> exclusive conversations you won't find anywhere else. >> these are very vivid, human stories. >> if you have an agenda with people, you sometimes don't see the truth. >> "talk to al jazeera". monday, 6:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> the count down is on to the first ces of the political first contest of the p

. >> we're seeing the largest el nino arguably on record. >> california farmers willing to face the dangerous weather pattern for more rain. tens of millions of americans are hunkered down in their homes tonight as the eastern u.s. is pounded by one of the biggest snow storms in years. this nasa satellite video shows just how large the storm is and why it could be one of the most powerful on record. john terret is in washington which has already been hit hard. john some paralyzing snow there. >> reporter: you know, it really is paralyzing. look at the scene behind me. this is m street antonio. one of the major thoroughfares in washington, d.c, the nation's capital and look, there's hardly anybody out. normally on a friday night at this hour there would be cars and taxis and buses and people having a good time but not tonight. that's because the snow began here in washington about 1:15 eastern this afternoon. it's gotten steadily heavier as the afternoon went on. we're told by meteorologists that this is only just getting going, not the full storm has started yet. they are already calling ther

conversations with meteorologists i think that's their property name and scientists warn us of the el nino storms that are coming here that will certainly our city and our area will be a focus of what necessary expect to be flooding i haven't seen any rain yet but i want to be and so our department desirable reduce if we lucky we'll be offeringly prepared we deal with unexpected dangers about you it is good he appreciate the departments and our direction coming together and doing everything we can to prepare not only themselves and their operations but to the public to the medium large and small businesses particularly to the residents for most now we know that with the exceptions we've been working in the private segment and public sector as well as with the faith based partners to make sure we're all ready and reemphasis that everyone should continue at their time when there isn't a big flooding going on to assess sf 72.org that is where there is good information we work on that site very well to prepare everybody and again thank our department of emergency services for putting out

experts say el nino might drive more people further north. it could drive another hit to those communities hit by drought. el nino is expected to continue until march bringing more wild weather. guatemala's subsistence farmers hope these predictions are wrong. their families' futures depend on it. guatemala. >> in whicnext, promises, promid ohio town, a polluting plant and why no one here expects the campaign season will bring any real change. >> al jazeera america brings you independent reporting without spin. >> not everybody is asking the questions you're asking me today. >> we give you more perspectives >> the separatists took control a few days ago. >> and a global view. >> now everybody in this country can hear them. >> getting the story first-hand. >> they have travelled for weeks, sometimes months. >> what's your message then? >> we need help now. >> you're watching al jazeera america. >> on hard earned, down, but not out, >> i'm in recovery, i've been in recovery for 23 years... >> last shot, at a better life... >> this is the one...

now another hallmark of el nino. this time punishing the west. and the worst of it still on the way. >> and now to nbc meteorologist bill karins here with us this morning. good morning. >> too much too fast. we need it but not this quickly. and it is hard with the topography in california. o get the rains you are going to have problems with the runoff. especially in burn areas. this is round one this morning. this is round two. and it's raining hard right now. these bright yellows and even lightning strikes out here. it is going to be a downpour this morning in san francisco. and san jose and sacramento. and when all that moisture makes it into the mountains, heavy snow is likely throughout the middle of the morning, especially in the passes. as far as the storm goes, this will be with us for today and tomorrow. don't forget eureka. very heavy rainfall in northern california. flash flood watches. riverside, oceanside. big sir in oakland. in all about 19 --. overall in the states including the advisories we got about 4 million people and spokane a

reportera: la madre de 23 aÑos el niÑo murieron y el niÑo se encuentra en condiciÓn crÍtica. ese familiar de la vÍctima llegÓ conmocionado. dicen estar destrozados. >> una tragedia que nadie esperaba. una buena mamÁ, los niÑos bien bonitos. buena gente! reportera: la maestra de pequeÑa micael de tres aÑos nos esperaba tragedia. >> cuando se lo entregÓ me dijo que Él estaba sonriéndose. reportera: el monÓxido de carbono acabÓ con la vida de sacha ymicael. ramÓn: estarÁn personas por prostituciÓn. ademÁs rescatará a tres mujeres. por otra parte la madrugada de este domingo un incendio arrasÓ una vivienda en vallejo. el siniestro ocurriÓ a eso de las 4:30 de la maÑana en la cuadra 900 de la calle pa look. la casa quedÓ totalmente destruida no se registraron vÍctimas debido que la vivienda se encontraba desocupada. tanto la policÍa de belmont busca un sospechoso de robar una gasolinera a mano armada. se cree que ha cometido otros robos similares. la policÍa de alameda pide la ayuda del pÚblico para localizar un hombre que escapÓ del hospital cuando se som

niÑo, porque cuando el niÑo ve que el osito se va abrir, operar el niÑo cree que uno le estÁ haciendo daÑo. y yo tuve un caso de una niÑa que casi la tienen que llevar al hospital de emergencia, porque estaba muy mal. >>> mutilaciÓn de oreja >>> por suerte encontrÉ este hospital de muÑecas y osos en nueva york >>> auxilio >>> desde el 2007 luis casas junto a su esposa, empezaron este hospital con mÁs de 20 aÑos de experiencia, desde su contna colombia y en manhattan para salvarle la vida a estos peluches algunas anterior wiigÜ como este monito de cerÁmica >>> inicialmente nos decÍan que, que no que aquÍ no iba a ser bueno, trabajar con los muÑecos, porque aquÍ en north amÉrica todo lo usaban y botaban, no es cierto hay mucho valor sentimental >>> tal como daniela y diego quienes estÁn sÚper apegados a su amigos y ano podÍan esconder su tristeza >>> la conejita llegÓ en criticas condiciones, oye llegÓ desde t de con oreja amputada a daniel y diego les podemos decir que estÉn tranquilos y ellos van a estar bien. ( ♪ mÚsica♪). >>> y yo gracias a dios tengo que lo

nino, the strongest on record. >> all 20 million of us are not going to escape the wrath of el nino. >> reporter: with the river expected to crest later this week, voluntary evacuations are under way in cam camarillo camarillo. they are worried it could flood again. >> our drainage system is designed to handle light silt, not rocks and boulders. >> reporter: today there is flash flooding in sylmar. down today. the mountains already hit hard by snow could get another two feet. el nino fueled the deadly flooding in the midwest. 150 homes destroyed. now another hallmark of el nino. this time punishing the west. and the worse of it with our first break in the rain coming just right now, this storm system will only drop a few inches of still, the river tonight. all across this region, we are bracing for flash flooding and the possibility of mudslides. this isn't one big monster storm. instead, it's a series that could cause serious damage. lester? >> miguel almaguer, thank you. >>> the ads claim these games can stave off alzheimer's. deceiving customers. >>> tonight, one of the leading co

, so is a taste of the el nino effect. relentless rain pouring in across california. a scramble for some to escape the fast rising water. the bay area. rock slides and flooding near los angeles. >> be prepared. >> reporter: a conveyer belt of moisture lasting through the week unleashing a water hose on the left. and now tied as the strongest el nino on record. >> all 20,000,000 of us are going to escape the rath of el nino. >> reporter: with theni l.a. river rising fast, expected to crest later this week, voluntary evacuations are underway are where there wasrw eraddic fire there is flash flooding. the soilfl can't ubsorb absorb all the rain. and the mountains could get another two feet. el nino fuelled the deadly flooding in the midwest. now another haul mark of el nino, this time punishing the west and the worst of it still on the way. >> nbc meteorologist bill karins is here. i know they have such a drought out there. there's going to be flooding problems but they need to fill up the reservoirs, that's the bottom line a

when is el nino leaving us? >> it -- unfortunately, it's here to stay at least for the next two or three months. it's a strong el nino season. >> all right, thanks. >> thank you. >> we're learning more about north crane claims that -- korean claims. >> the north may have tried to test components of a hydrogen bomb when it carried out a nuclear test earlier this month. they say this assessment comes after careful examination of the test data. it is a shift from early this month when the white house said it was not consistent with a successful bomb test. >> paula hancock joins us from seoul, south korea. it's hard to understand exactly what north korea did. >> well, that's right, natsly, and that's why the u.s. appears to be revisiting other options. it's effectively said this u.s. official has effectively said that the air sampling they were doing, south korea, japan, china was doing the sarges has been inconclusive, which is what we've heard from neighboring countries as well. the fact that they couldn't pinpoin

nino this year our concept of proclamations or game plan is continuous operations through a storm it if a severe storm tweezer in constant contract with the national weather service that provides us with information on point telling you the impact and severity of the storm and the potential hazards to san francisco we will queen a conference call with the city storm incident management team or i m t to update the partner agencies what to expect with the upcoming storm if necessary we'll open our emergency operations on 1011 turk to make sure we're court reporting our response activity with rains as the little spitting rains out p there and right now our city is preempt twenty-four hour to make sure that the residents and citizens and the visitors to san francisco are safe our game plan relies on the corridor response at all levels of government navigate our lead integer managers my lead el nino plan is meeting with fema to talk about our court reporting response effort our success relies on all our partners like pg&e, and our community-based organizations who are integrated with us a

tag this current el nino system has now tied the strongest previous el nino on record, but according to noaa, it appears to have peaked. lana zak, abcn w a job search... you're not alone. here's america's money... >>> good morning. topping "america's money" -- questions about trader joe's tuna. >> well, there's class-action cans don't have enough tuna in them. starkist recently settled a similar lawsuit. trader joe's said it doesn't >>> might have trouble search. monster.com said the first wednesday back at work after the new year is always the busiest day. >> the theory is, just after a few days you get back on the job, lot of people realize how miserable they are. >>> and if you want to get rich, apparently the key, read. warren buffett said 80% of his working day is dedicated to reading. >> in fact, the author of "how rich people think," he interviewed 1200 rich people you get a cold. you can't breathe through your nose. suddenly, you're a mouthbreather. a mouthbreather! how can anyone sleep like that? well, just put on a breathe right strip and pow! it instantly opens your nose u

four el nino-fueled storms are on the way. impact of el nino can already being felt around the world. >> reporter: the significant snowpack measured in california's sierra nevada this week is a welcome sign but going from severe droughts to flood and mudslides is also a currence says climatologist josh willis. >> we definitely see big extremes whenever there's a giant el nino like this. >> reporter: the latest satellite image showing the warming of water in the eastern pacific is almost identical to the 1997 el nino, which caused significant flooding across much of california. this el nino is already responsible for the warm northeast winter and deadly weather in the south. >> during el nino years we tend to see a very active december and tornadoes late in the year. >> reporter: the weather phenomenon is also causing flooding in south america and drought-related famine in parts of africa. says oxfam. >> the u.n. estimates around 87 million people will require humanitarian assistance as a consequence of el nino in 2016. >> repo

nino. >> el nino is when warm weather in the pacific mixes with atmosphere creating strong storms like the ones in california. eventually, heading east dumping snow in colorado. >> the storms we're seeing here, re they the result of el nino?>>is b indeed. we expect to abc%some sn r @b *_ the mountains and a little bit of snow down here. >> el nino has alreadd peaked but its influence should last through the spring. probably some big snow and as it weakens, we will still have a pretty active spring in terms of whether an mysevere >> a aabc%as ammyter she is keeping an eye on the trail. >>> that may be wishful thinking. we have seen some heavy snows. especially in march. we have had some strong march storms during those el nino years of the past. in the next few weeks, history will repeat itself. live in denver tonight, denver 7 _abcmost all denver police officers will be wearing one of these. a body camara. a new program rolling out tonight. when it is done, 800 more cameras on the streets. we're breaking down the cost and whether it will impact our privacy. >> reporter: it starts tonig

tagthis current el nino system has now tied the strongest previous el nino on record, but according to noaa, it appears to have peaked.3 lana zak, abcn w 3 3 3 new this morning... it is an incredible image following a house fire in wilkes county. the flames trapped a family of five in the home... and on the roof. one neighbor captured the fightening scene in a photo.. right before flames engulfed the home. the trapped family called for help to their neighbors. those neighbors came to the rescue... two showing up with a ladder. little girls to 3 jump bec there was flames starting to come up out of the top of the house one person was burned and hurt after jumping from the roof, but is expected to be okay. fire investigations believe a space heater started the blaze. 3 3 family members in west asheville say they are living in fear, after a man broke into their home while they were there. catherine turner says she and her three kids were visiting her mother on "florida avenue" monday, when a man walked into the home. turner says after she ran the man out, he then harassed her neighbors, an

being described as the godzilla el nino. it's fueling storms in the west coast. massive waves, 27 to 40 feet high in some areas. a rock slide closed an entrance to yosemite park. high flood level trapped cars. >> emergency crews swift water rescues are some of the most dangerous rescue missions. one brave chopper crew ready to be put to the test by the waters of el nino. >> reporter: high a different kind of first responder. in l.a. county, they call this the fire hawk, a military blackhawk with upgrades. >> their plane was made to go in harm's way and come back. when these are going somewhere, they are going to help man. >> reporter: marty martin and his teammates ready for their next assignment, a threat not seen here in nearly two decades. >> hold on to the ropes! >> reporter: the deadly 1997/97 el nino event cost half a billion dollars in damage. >> once those waterways fill up, especially on the front end of the el nino, people are not acclimated to the dangers involved with water. >> reporter: los angeles county has ei

conversations with meteorologists i think that's their property name and scientists warn us of the el nino storms that are coming here that will certainly our city and our area will be a focus of what necessary expect to be flooding i haven't seen any rain yet but i want to be and so our department desirable reduce if we lucky we'll be offeringly prepared we deal with unexpected dangers about you it is good he appreciate the departments and our direction coming together and doing everything we can to prepare not only themselves and their operations but to the public to the medium large and small businesses particularly to the residents for most now we know that with the exceptions we've been working in the private segment and public sector as well as with the faith based partners to make sure we're all ready and reemphasis that everyone should continue at their time when there isn't a big flooding going on to assess sf 72.org that is where there is good information we work on that site very well to prepare everybody and again thank our department of emergency services for putting out