The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a La Niña watch which means this weather condition could influence temperature and precipitation patterns around the world, as well as hurricanes.
Conditions are right for the development of a La Niña later this year, which has prompted the NOAA to issue a watch over the next six months.
La Niña can have a significant influence on patterns of precipitation and temperatures all across the globe, as well as on hurricane development.
The National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted the following, including a probability graph:
“A #LaNina watch has been issued. #ENSO-neutral is favored to continue through boreal summer, with a 50-55% chance of La Niña development during Northern Hemisphere fall 2020 and continuing through winter 2020-21 (~50% chance).”
This seems to fall in line with predictions by experts this year that the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will see above-average activity.
When a La Niña occurs, it typically contributes to a more active hurricane season. Hurricanes thrive when there is low wind shear. La Niña brings cooler waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which causes less wind shear and weaker low-level winds in the Caribbean Sea.
According to Weather, La Niña also can increase rising motion over the Atlantic Basin, which makes it easier for storms to develop.
Still, while La Niña will typically result in a more active hurricane season, it is only one factor, and hurricane seasons in the Atlantic can be hyperactive even without the extra nudge from a La Niña.
Hurricanes aren’t the only thing that La Niña has an impact on. As previously mentioned, La Niña can influence both precipitation and temperature patterns in this influence is expected to come within the next six months which will take us into winter.
Making things even weirder, La Niña doesn’t necessarily re-create historical outcomes. According to the NOAA, no single La Niña has the same effect as it may have in the past. But of course, there are generalities that can be expected.
During a La Niña winter, it tends to cause below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures in the southern hemisphere of the US. Oppositely, it causes above average-precipitation and below-average temperatures in the northern US, especially in the northern Plains and Northwest.
So if you live in these northern latitudes, it may be time to start shopping for the best body wash cream for dry skin now!
