The La Niña climate phenomenon has finally emerged, but its weak manifestation in the Pacific Ocean is unlikely to cause the usual weather disruptions, according to meteorologists.
La Niña, which is characterized by an irregular rise of unusually cold water in a crucial part of the central equatorial Pacific, alters global weather patterns. The last El Niño was declared over in June, and NOAA has been anticipating La Niña for months. Its delayed arrival may be influenced by the warmer oceans observed globally in recent years.
Michelle L'Heureux, head of NOAA's El Niño team, stated, “It’s unclear why this La Niña has taken so long to form, and it will certainly be a topic of much research.”
Typically, La Niña results in drier conditions in the southern and western United States while bringing wetter weather to parts of Indonesia, northern Australia, and southern Africa. While it usually leads to an increase in Atlantic hurricanes during summer, L'Heureux predicts that this event will dissipate before then.
Understanding La Niña's impacts is crucial, as previous studies indicate that droughts associated with it have been more costly than those linked to El Niño.