10/21/2024

A La Niña Winter Is on the Way

Here's what that means for the U.S.

While crisp fall weather has just made an appearance across most of the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center (NOAA) is already thinking about winter. The organization says there's a 60 percent chance that a weak La Niña may develop this November—lasting until March. The event may influence temperatures, precipitation and even snow across the country.

Part of a natural climate cycle, La Niña can cause extreme weather across the globe. It's the cool phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is a naturally occurring global pattern that changes the wind and ocean temperatures in the Pacific. La Niña trade winds get more intense, causing cold water from deep in the ocean to rise, creating cooler ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific.

When El Niño, the warm phase of ENSO, occurs, trade winds that typically blow across the Pacific, in the direction of Asia, become weaker. This allows warm ocean water to sit along the western edge of South America. Because El Niño dominated the winter season last year, it was the warmest on record.

Please select this link to read the complete article from MarthaStewart.com.