Welcome to El Niño 101.

After being out of school for half a month, friends are being reunited and catching up on all the most pressing subjects, such as… the weather.

This topic must be laid to rest. Discussions over subjects as mundane as the weather are kept alive solely through speculation, so the Optimist has put together an explanation for our not-so-white Christmas.

Every two to seven years, trade winds that normally blow above the east tropical Pacific weaken, causing the temperature of the sea surface to rise. Weather patterns all over the word are heavily affected by this change.

Typically, El Niño brings drought to Indonesia and Australia, heavy rains to South America and milder winters to the United States.

Our decidedly snow-less Christmas was a product of this well-known weather phenomenon, and the halls of South can once again be filled with more thrilling after-break topics, such as complaints over the difficulties of regaining a regular sleep schedule.

Stay toasty, panthers.