La Nina, the cooler counterpart to the more familiar El Nino phenomenon, has disappeared after only three months. This recent La Nina emerged in January, later than expected, and was considered weak by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Currently, the climate is in a neutral phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation cycle. This neutral state is usually the least impactful regarding significant weather events like hurricanes, droughts, and floods. NOAA predicts that this neutral phase might persist throughout most, if not all, of 2025, complicating long-term weather forecasts since one of the key climatic influences is not leaning toward either extreme.
La Nina is characterized by a drop in temperatures in a crucial area of the central equatorial Pacific, which alters weather patterns globally. Typically, La Nina conditions elevate the likelihood of Atlantic hurricanes during the summer, but this won’t be a concern for the current year. In the U.S., La Nina typically contributes to drier conditions in the South and West, while fostering wetter weather in regions like Indonesia, northern Australia, and southern Africa.
Research indicates that La Nina events can be more economically damaging than their El Nino counterparts or neutral conditions.
Before this brief La Nina episode, the world experienced an extended period of cooler conditions that lasted three years, concluding in 2023.
