El Niño is a weather pattern that causes weakened trade winds. This results in warm water being pushed toward the west coast of the Americas, and in turn, the warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south of its neutral position. This creates warmer, dryer weather in the northern regions of United States and Canada, but the U.S. Gulf Coast and southeast regions often experience wetter conditions, including flooding, during El Niño, which occurs every two to seven years on average, but not on a regular schedule.