A La Niña Winter Is on the Way—Here's What That Means for the US

The event could bring snow and cool temperatures to the US soon.

While crisp fall weather has just made an appearance across most of the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center (NOAA) is already thinking about winter. The organization says there's a 60 percent chance that a weak La Niña may develop this November—lasting until March. The event may influence temperatures, precipitation, and even snow across the country.

Part of a natural climate cycle, La Niña can cause extreme weather across the globe. It's the cool phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is a naturally occurring global pattern that changes the wind and ocean temperatures in the Pacific. La Niña trade winds get more intense, causing cold water from deep in the ocean to rise, creating cooler ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific.

Related: It's Going to Be a Very Wet and Snowy Winter—See the Farmers' Almanac Forecast Map Here

When El Niño, the warm phase of ENSO, occurs, trade winds that typically blow across the Pacific, in the direction of Asia, become weaker. This allows warm ocean water to sit along the western edge of South America. Because El Niño dominated the winter season last year, it was the warmest on record.

While it is not completely clear how this La Niña will play out, experts believe northern parts of South America could see more rain than usual, and southern parts of the U.S. and Mexico could be drier. Northern regions of the country, as well as southern Canada, could see wetter weather than average. Last year, the north experienced drier weather while the south was wetter than usual.

The NOAA says there have only been four La Niña events formed this late in the year, per their records, which start in 1950. Large amounts of cooler or warmer water under the ocean's surface combined with the NOAA's computer climate models help indicate when El Niño or La Niña are on the way.

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