LONG BEACH, Ca. ?EUR??,,????'??+ For parched areas of southern California, lingering El Ni?????o influences may bring some relief within the coming months, top officials from NOAA said today. While the region has not seen the full distribution of precipitation associated with most El Ni?????o episodes, its influence still remains. At a news conference on February 11, at the American Meteorological Society?EUR??,,????'???s Annual Meeting in Long Beach, retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph. D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, said, ?EUR??,,????'??The dryness of this winter in southern California is a stark contrast to our vivid memories of the last El Ni?????o, when relentless rains eroded hillsides, causing beach houses to collapse into the surf.?EUR??,,????'?? The latest NOAA Drought Monitor shows moderate-to-extreme drought across interior southern California. ?EUR??,,????'??El Ni?????o usually flexes its muscles during late winter and spring in this area. This moderate El Ni?????o didn?EUR??,,????'???t pack the punch of some previous versions. A moderate El Ni?????o reduces the chance for above-normal rainfall in southern California, but it?EUR??,,????'???s too early to count it out as a significant rainmaker,?EUR??,,????'?? Lautenbacher said. He added,?EUR??,,????'??El Ni?????o remains a phenomenon we need to learn more about. In 70 percent of the last 11 El Ni?????o events, the region received above-normal rainfall from February through April. So far, this season has been an anomaly.?EUR??,,????'??