This past year’s “Godzilla” El Niño was either a godsend or a disappointment depending on who you ask. However, one of the strongest El Nino’s in recorded history might be giving way to its step sister, La Niña reports NOAA’s ENSO blog.
“A transition to ENSO-neutral is likely during late Northern Hemisphere spring or early summer 2016, with an increasing chance of La Niña during the second half of the year.” – NOAA
The report is calling for a favorable chance of La Niña conditions developing over the next 6 months– which could arrive just in time for a big and cold winter across the northern half of The United States.
Squaw Valley received 810″ during the 2010/2011 La Niña season!
What is La Niña?
“La Niña is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator. During the winter, typical La Niña effects include drier and warmer-than-average temperatures over the southern United States, and cooler-than-average temperatures in the southern tier of Alaska, Pacific Northwest and across the Midwest.” – NOAA
In the meantime, the majority of forecast models agree that El Niño is weakening and should transition to a neutral state this summer before giving way to La Niña conditions this fall– fingers crossed.