In 2013 State Climatologist Nicholas Bond of the University of Washington noted an unusual warming of the northeast North Pacific which during 2014-15 strengthened and did not weaken until 2016. The large area of warm water correlated to an upper level ridge pattern associated with the downstream polar vortex winter of 2013-14 and 2014-15 and was a major contributor to California drought. A weaker version of this phenomenon formed in 2017 southwest of California (pictured) and has contributed to another drought and record 2017 fire damage.