<body><div>At a Glance<ul><li>A La Niña watch remains in effect.</li><li>Assuming La Niña forms, the event is likely to remain on the weaker end of the spectrum.</li><li>That means it could have less of an influence on global weather patterns than usual, including winter weather in the U.S.</li></ul>Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.L​a Niña conditions are still favored to develop in the coming months, but it might remain weak and have less of an influence on winter than usual, according to a monthly update issued by NOAA Thursday.As a reminder, La Niña occurs when the ocean's surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific reach a cooler-than-average threshold, which can have an impact on weather patterns all over the world.Neutral conditions remain in place, but a La Niña watch is still in effect. Waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean near the equator have remained at near-average temperatures this month. That means neither El Niño, nor its counterpart La Niña, are ongoing.Sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are currently a mix of cooler and warmer water, as shown in the map below, which is an indication of the neutral conditions that are still in place at this time.A La Niña watch remains in effect, NOAA said. That is because it's still expected that waters in this region will cool and persist long enough to meet the threshold for a La Niña event.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1v8Hwt_0w1k7Zro00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1v8Hwt_0w1k7Zro00" width="480" height="270" ></figure>A weak La Niña is favored to develop. NOAA has decreased the odds of La Niña's formation through the end of November to 60%. That's down from a 71% chance last month.NOAA said in its October monthly update, "the team still favors a weak event, but has lowered the chances of La Niña. A weaker La Niña implies that it would be less likely to result in conventional winter impacts, though predictable signals could still influence the forecast guidance".A​ssuming La Niña forms, then it would be expected to persist through January to March of next year.La Niña can influence both winter temperature and precipitation patterns. B​elow is a look at the typical winter temperature and precipitation patterns La Niña has historically produced.Keep in mind given the forecast for a weak event this winter that these patterns might be less pronounced than usual, as noted by NOAA earlier. Plus, other factors in the atmosphere can override the influence of La Niña for periods of time in winter.Temperatures: The north-central United States tends to be colder-than-average in La Niña winters. The South often sees above-average temperatures, but that doesn't mean there won't be periods of colder weather.Winter in this case is defined as the three-month period from December through February.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=258oK7_0w1k7Zro00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=258oK7_0w1k7Zro00" width="480" height="270" ><figcaption>La Niña winters often mean warmer than average temperatures across the southern U.S. and cooler than average temperatures across the northern U.S.</figcaption></figure>Precipitation: La Niña usually brings wetter than average conditions during winter to the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley, while the nation's southern tier tends to skew drier.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=13Inbj_0w1k7Zro00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=13Inbj_0w1k7Zro00" width="480" height="270" ><figcaption>During La Niña winters, wetter conditions will persist across the Ohio Valley and Pacific Northwest, while drier than normal conditions persist across the southern tier of the U.S.</figcaption></figure>Chris Dolce has been a senior meteorologist with weather.com for over 10 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.</div></body>

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La Niña Still Expected to Emerge, But Might Remain Weak And Have Less Influence On Winter

A La Niña watch remains in effect. Assuming La Niña forms, the event is likely to remain on the weaker end of the spectrum. That means it could have less of an influence on global weather patterns than usual, including winter weather in the U.S. Sign up for...

La Niña Still Expected to Emerge, But Might Remain Weak And Have Less Influence On Winter

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