ENSO conditions are described as neutral when the temperature variation from climatology is within 0.5°C. This means that sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are close to the long-term average, with neither El Nino (warmer than average) nor La Nina (cooler than average) conditions prevailing. Neutral conditions are an important phase in the ENSO cycle and can influence global climate patterns in different ways compared to the El Nino or La Niña phases.