News, A rare third year of La Niña is on deck for California, forecasters say : detailed suggestions and opinions about A rare third year of La Niña is on deck for California, forecasters say .
Californians should brace for another year of La Niña as the stubborn climate pattern in the tropical Pacific is expected to persist for a third consecutive year, forecasters say.
The latest outlook, published Thursday by the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, has increased the chances of La Niña sticking around through November to 91%, a near certainty. The pattern may also linger into winter, with an 80% chance of La Niña from November to January and a 54% chance from January to March.
La Niña is the cooler phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern and is a significant driver of weather conditions across the globe, including temperature, rain and snowfall, jet streams and tropical cyclones.
In the southwestern United States, La Niña seasons tend to be drier, which could spell trouble for the drought-ravaged region.
