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According to NOAA "La Niña means Little Girl in Spanish. La Niña is also sometimes called El Viejo, anti-El Niño, or simply "a cold event." La Niña has the opposite effect of El Niño."
La Niña is a natural climate event where cooler-than-average sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean influence global weather patterns, especially during winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
"Forecasters continue to favor La Niña later this year, with an approximately 60% chance it will develop in September–November. ... it’s likely to be a weak event."
— Emily Becker writes in NOAA's "October 2024 ENSO update: spooky season" blog
The La Niña weather pattern would bring cooler temperatures to the north while down south, warmer weather would be experienced. NOAA predicts it to be a weak La Niña event.
Last winter was influenced by El Niño, La Niña’s counterpart, which resulted in the warmest winter on record across the lower 48 U.S. states. This year's La Niña is predicted to be weaker.
The northern tier of the US is predicted to experience a wetter-than-normal winter. The southern half of the US is expected to witness a warmer-than-normal season.
According to a CNN report, parts of the Midwest, Plains, and Rockies may see temperatures closer to normal this winter season, while parts of the Dakotas and Pacific Northwest could end up with cooler-than-normal weather.
Warmer, drier conditions are expected across the South, potentially worsening droughts. Southern California could face a prolonged fire season due to drier conditions if rain doesn’t arrive soon.
There could be increased snowfall in the Pacific Northwest due to predicted wetter and cooler conditions. Parts of the East could see some winter storms which might be wetter rather than snowier.