Rising La Niña Odds Point to More Hurricanes in the Atlantic
Forecasters at the US Climate Prediction Center have issued a La Niña watch, meaning that the surface of the Pacific Ocean is poised to cool. The weather pattern tends to reduce sudden changes in wind speed and direction in the Atlantic, allowing more storms to take shape.
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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
La Niña weather returns to California: What to know
The Brief A La Niña Watch has been issued for California, signaling the possible return of the weather pattern. The conditions are expected to develop late this fall and winter but are likely to be short-lived. Forecasters predict average to below-average rainfall for Southern California this winter as a result. LOS ANGELES - La Niña weather conditions are making a comeback in California soon. This comes as a La Niña Watch was issued by the NOAA on Thursday. The alert will run through the emergence of a La Niña or until water temperatures start to warm in the Central and Eastern Pacific. What is La Niña? What we know La Niña is the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. During this time, there are cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Each cycle typically lasts between 9 months and a year, but there isn't a set schedule for when the world enters either La Niña or El Niño state. What is the difference between La Niña and El Niño? What they're saying La Niña is the cool phase which is the opposite of El Niño, when warmer waters dominate the same region. While a strong La Niña brings colder, stormier weather to much of the U.S., El Niño is known to produce more zonal patterns which lead to milder air. A La Niña occurs when water temperatures are at least 0.5 degrees C cooler than normal for several consecutive months, while an El Niño unfolds during an equivalent episode of warmer-than-normal temperatures. Both La Niña and El Niño tend to have their strongest influence over the weather in the winter. El Niños occur irregularly, approximately every 2 to 7 years. What does it mean? What they're saying According to the NOAA, the forecast models point towards ENSO-neutral conditions for the rest of 2025 and into 2026, with the odds of El Niño developing low. Forecasters said if La Niña develops it will likely be short, but odds increase in the new year that neutral conditions will prevail. This means, during winter, the southern U.S. stays warmer than average while the northern U.S. is cooler. Last winter qualified as a La Niña event, though it was weak. Forecasters said La Niña conditions are likely to develop late fall into early winter before revering back to a neutral late winter. "The forecast team narrowly favors La Niña thresholds being reached" between September and January, the CPC said in its forecast. How does it impact California? Forecasters said the odds are La Niña will bring average to below-average rainfall across Southern California this winter. The Source Information for this story is from the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FOX Weather contributed. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
A short La Niña is coming soon. What does that mean for weather near you?
(NEXSTAR) – The U.S. is on 'La Niña watch,' according to a new forecast issued by the Climate Prediction Center on Thursday. The Center predicts La Niña will form in the fall, influencing the weather we see in the latter part of the year. This year's La Niña is expected to be short and weak, much like the one we saw last winter. But that doesn't mean its impact on the weather will necessarily be weak. In hindsight, the 2024-25 winter season 'bore the telltale signs of a La Niña influence,' explained meteorologist Nat Johnson. In a typical La Niña year, the southern half of the country will get drier, warmer weather, while the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley get more precipitation than normal. Back to school already? Why the academic year keeps getting shifted earlier That's pretty much what happened last winter, despite the 'weak' La Niña. 'In particular, most of the southern U.S. and northern Mexico were predicted to be and turned out to be drier than average, with record-dry conditions in southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico,' Johnson said. 'Wetter conditions were forecasted and did prevail over the northern part of the continent, particularly in Alaska and parts of the Pacific Northwest, as well as much farther south in Central America.' It wasn't a perfect forecast – east Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and western Virginia got some pretty wet weather – but overall, the La Niña pattern played out, Johnson said. Even though this year's La Niña is expected to dissipate before the end of winter, its influence is still most likely to be visible in the peak winter months, explained Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. Both La Niña and El Niño tend to have their strongest influence over the weather in the winter. If this year's La Niña turns out to be perfectly typical, the winter precipitation around the country would look like the map below: a dry season for California and the South, but a wetter or snowier season in the blue patches of the northern and Midwest states. One way La Niña could have an influence sooner is on hurricane season, which runs through the end of November. La Niñas are typically associated with a stronger, busier hurricane season. In its updated hurricane forecast released this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said there is a 50% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, a 35% chance of a near-normal season and a 15% chance of a quieter season.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
La Niña may be coming back, again. Here's what that means
On Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued a La Niña Watch — an informal bulletin advising partners that a La Niña weather pattern is likely to emerge. It won't be a strong La Niña, and it won't last too long, but it should be a factor in shaping how North America's winter evolves.
