Meteorologists predict a weak La Niña pattern is likely this winter, bringing warmer weather to southern states and a cooler, wetter winter to the northwestern United States.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there is a 60% chance that La Niña will occur this November and last until January or March 2025.
This weather phenomenon is expected to disrupt weather patterns across the United States and impact the amount of rain and snow in certain areas this season. The agency also warned that the hurricane season could become more severe.
Meteorologists say a weak La Niña pattern is possible this winter. Steven Yang What the United States can expect if La Niña occurs this November. new york post
The last time the Big Apple observed La Niña, the weather was warm and there was little snow, but forecasters warn that anything can happen under this weather phenomenon.
What is La Niña winter?
La Niña means “little girl” in Spanish and refers to the periodic cooling of the Pacific waters off the coast of South America.
“La Niña means temperatures are colder than average, and El Niño means warmer than average. This is a global pattern that varies from season to season,” said Stephanie Van Oppen, a meteorologist at the Fox Prediction Center. told the Post.
La Niña could bring a “boom-bust” to New York City due to rainfall this weekend. Steven Yang
Weather events tend to occur every three to five years. Last year, the United States experienced the opposite phenomenon, El Niño, which brought warm, humid conditions and little snow to the Big Apple.
Although La Niña is a naturally occurring phenomenon, the weather phenomenon “can change weather patterns based on that part of the ocean temperature,” van Oppen said.
What does it mean for the US?
During a La Niña event, cold waters in the Pacific Ocean push the jet stream northward, often leading to drought in the southern United States and heavy rain flooding in the northern United States and Canada.
“If a La Niña event occurs this winter, we can expect warmer-than-average temperatures and a drier-than-average winter in the southeast,” Van Oppen said. “Northern regions such as Montana, Colorado, and the Midwest may experience colder-than-average temperatures.”
“The Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes may also experience a wetter-than-normal winter,” Van Oppen added.
Van Oppen said La Niña could mean a variety of things in New York City, putting the Big Apple in a “boom or bust” scenario.
“That could mean a lot (of snow) or very little,” Van Oppen said.
Historically, La Niña events have brought blizzards and just a few inches of snow to the five boroughs, so there’s no telling what kind of winter New York City will have.
“We’re in a bubble where we don’t know if the conditions are going to be ripe for heavy snow or if we’re going to end up in a snow drought,” Van Oppen said.
States most likely to be affected
The Pacific Northwest is likely to bear the brunt of the La Niña event.
“We are most likely to see more snowfall than usual, and temperatures are also likely to drop,” Van Oppen said.
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If a La Niña event occurs, multiple weather systems could move from the Pacific Ocean into the Pacific Northwest, bringing significant amounts of rain and snow to states such as Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
The situation could spread throughout the Great Lakes region, but would be less affected than the northern West Coast states, Van Oppen said.
when was the last time this happened
The last time a La Niña event occurred in the United States was in the winter of 2022-2023, when it brought warm, wet weather to New York City.
“Only 2.3 inches of snow fell in Central Park during that winter. But there have been other instances of really heavy snowfall in the past, most notably in 1995-1996 when it hit Central Park. It was a snowstorm in January, during a weak La Niña event.”
The 2022-2023 season marks the third consecutive year that the U.S. experienced a La Niña event, a rare phenomenon that meteorologists refer to as a “triple dip.”
