Strong La Niña Forecasted

Summer has just began are we’re already dreaming about and counting the days until winter! The great news is that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are forecasting a very strong La Nińa for this winter. There is no better news for powder skiers and boarders!

A La Niña has developed and will extend through the third winter in a row according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — a division of NOAA’s National Weather Service. La Nińa is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator and is translated from Spanish as “little girl.”

La Niña is one part of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which is characterized by opposing warm and cool phases of oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Consecutive La Niña’s following a transition through ENSO neutral conditions are not uncommon and can be referred to as a “double-dip.”

“Our scientists have been tracking the potential development of a La Niña since this spring, and it was a factor in the above-normal hurricane season forecast, which we have seen unfold,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “La Niña also influences weather across the country during the winter, and it will influence our upcoming temperature and precipitation outlooks.”

The NOAA predicts that this La Niña is expected to last through the early spring 2023. For powder skiers and boarders the “little girl” makes for a great season!