"Hey, I can be detailed. El Niño is an interaction between water and wind that upsets weather patterns all around the world. The water is in the Pacific Ocean. The wind comes from the trade winds that flow over the Pacific. 

"The trade winds are part of a bigger series of winds that surround the Earth in the atmosphere. These winds are responsible for the movement of weather around the globe. They can grow weaker or stronger, and can affect each other when they change. 

"The diagram below shows the normal weather conditions for the Pacific. Strong trade winds travel west, driving the ocean water along with it. The trade winds force this sun-heated warm water from the Equator and into the western Pacific near Indonesia and Australia. As the warm water pools in that area, the trade winds rise up into the atmosphere, taking the heat from the ocean with them. As the atmosphere is heated, tropical thunderstorms form there. 
 

"The next diagram shows what happens during an El Niño. El Niño starts when the trade winds over the Pacific weaken and don't have the strength to move the sun-heated ocean water in the Pacific. The warm water collects off the coast of South America, replacing the cool sea water normally found there.  

"The warmer ocean water will now heat a different part of the atmosphere. This changes how the air moves above the Pacific Ocean, which changes how other air patterns move across the world. 

"Remember that every El Niño is somewhat different in strength and duration. The warm water collects off different parts of the South American coast. Sometimes the trade winds are inactive longer, or sometimes the water temperature is not as warm. No two El Niños have been recorded to be exactly alike."