Climatologists predict weak La Nina this winter

Published 8:15 am Monday, September 16, 2024

By DON JENKINS
Capital Press

A La Nina weather pattern is likely to cause a cold, wet winter, a forecaster says.

A La Nina probably will form soon, but likely will be weak and short-lived, limiting its influence on winter weather, the National Weather Service predicts.

The weather service’s Climate Prediction Center estimated there is a 71% chance a La Nina will take shape before the end of November and persist through the winter.

Below-average sea-surface temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean trigger a La Nina. The center projects temperatures will fall only enough to create a weak La Nina.

A weak La Nina is less likely to have its conventional influence on the winter, according to the center.

La Ninas generally bring colder and wetter winters to the northern tier of the U.S. and have the opposite effect in the southern tier.

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