What is La Niña?
In Spanish, La Niña translates to “little girl.” It also goes by other names, such as “El Viejo,” or more pointedly, “Anti El Niño.” According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service, the definition of La Niña is “the periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.”
During a La Niña weather pattern, trade winds are unusually strong, moving warm water toward Asia. In essence, it is the opposite of El Niño, which is a warming of the ocean surface to above-average temperatures.
How Does La Niña Affect the Summer Season?
During the summer, a La Niña pattern can contribute to a more severe hurricane season than is typical. Additionally, drought conditions can worsen, increasing the chance of wildfires and other heat-related natural disasters . Researchers at NewsNation also indicate that La Niña generally weakens storms in the Pacific , but can contribute to stronger storms in the Atlantic.
How Does La Niña Affect the Winter Season?
In the winter, a La Niña pattern will cause warmer and drier conditions in the south than is typical. Conversely, the north will be colder and wetter, including Canada.
More La Niña Facts
Additional facts about the La Niña weather pattern , from National Geographic and NOAA, include:
- Scientists collect data about La Niña (along with its sibling, El Niño) using approximately 70 buoys scattered across the ocean, from Australia to the Galapagos Islands. These buoys gather information such as sea surface temperature, currents, winds, and more, and transmit that data to NOAA on a regular basis.
- The Dust Bowl of the 1930s is thought to have been caused by a La Niña weather pattern.
- La Niña weather patterns can last from one to three years.
- La Niña weather patterns are generally less frequent than El Niño weather patterns.
- La Niña weather patterns, like El Niño, usually occur every two to seven years (although the pattern is never exact).
For more information, please visit our FAQ and Glossary .
Sources:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/la-nina/
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/what-la-nina-means-for-your-summer/