La Niña Will Dominate Winter Weather, US Federal Forecasters Say

Climate troublemaker La Niña will play a starring role in the United States’ winter weather, federal forecasters from the Climate Prediction Center said, Doyle Rice reported for USA Today.

La Niña is characterized by cooler-than-average ocean temperatures in that region.

“La Niña continued over the past month, as indicated by the strengthening of below-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean,” the center said in a statement.

La Niña is part of a natural climate cycle officially known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, which swings between warmer and cooler seawater in a region along the equator in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

La Niña is characterized by cooler-than-average ocean temperatures in that region.

These subtle changes can have significant ripple effects on the global climate, at times increasing the chances for rain, drought, hurricanes and other disruptions.

The effects vary widely by region, even within the US. Although this year’s La Niña is on the weak side, federal forecasters say it will still be the primary driver of US winter weather.

Its impact is expected to peak during the winter season and plays a major role in the CPC’s recently released winter outlook, Jon Gottschalck, chief of the operational prediction branch at the Climate Prediction Center, told USA Today.