[ad_1]
So what exactly is La Niña?
La Niña climate pattern Is a natural circulation characterized by seawater that is colder than the average in the Central Pacific. It is one of the major drivers of weather in the United States and around the world, especially during late fall, winter and early spring.
This is in contrast to the more famous El Nino, which occurs when the Pacific seawater is warmer than average.
Both are Spanish terms. La Niña means “little girl”, El Nino It means “little boy” or “child of Christ”. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, South American fishermen were first noticed during the 1600s when unusually warm water emerged in the Pacific Ocean. The full name they used was “El Nino de Navidado”, as El Nino usually peaks around December.
The entire natural climate cycle is officially known by climate scientists as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This is a seesaw dance of warm and cold seawater in the Central Pacific.
During the La Niña phenomenon, trade winds are even stronger than normal, pushing warmer water into Asia, NOAA said. Off the west coast of the Americas, upwelling increases, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface.
These cold waters of the Pacific push jet streams north, which affects weather patterns in the United States and the world.
What is La Niña Winter?
According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, a typical La Niña winter in the United States brings cold and snow to the northwest and unusually dry conditions in most of the southern layers of the United States. The southeastern and Mid-Atlantic coasts also tend to be warmer than average during the La Niña winters.
According to the Weather Channel, the Upper Midwest to New England and New York tends to be cooler than average.
La Niña diverts storms and often brings more snow to the valleys of Ohio and Tennessee. “La Niña is usually not a year of heavy snowfall on the Mid-Atlantic coast,” said Mike Harpert, deputy director of the Center for Climate Prediction. “You have a better chance in New England.”
Bruce McCarl, an agricultural economist at the University of Texas A & M, said the La Niña phenomenon is often bad for agriculture in Texas and the surrounding area. According to a McCarl study, production of most crops in the United States, except corn, generally declines in the year La Niña.
Globally, La Niña often causes heavy rainfall in Indonesia, the Philippines, northern Australia and southern Africa.
What to expect: La Niña’s climate pattern should return this fall and continue into winter. This is what you expect.
During La Niña, the waters off the Pacific coast are colder and contain more nutrients than normal. This environment supports more marine life and attracts more coldwater species such as squid and salmon to places like the California coast.
Can La Niña exacerbate the Atlantic hurricane season?
Yes, according to the Climate Prediction Center. “The La Niña phenomenon can help increase Atlantic hurricane activity by weakening wind shear in the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic basins, which can lead to storms and intensification,” Harpert said in 2020. Stated.
According to NOAA, vertical wind shear refers to changes in wind speed and direction between about 5,000 and 35,000 feet above the ground. Strong vertical wind shear can tear developing hurricanes or prevent them from forming. This can happen in the Atlantic during El Nino, where Atlantic hurricane activity is often suppressed.
The La Niña phenomenon tends to increase hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, but it also tends to decrease the number of hurricanes in the basins of the East and Central Pacific Oceans.
This article was originally published in USA TODAY: La Niña Meteorological Effects: Impact on Hurricane Season
[ad_2]