La Niña Is Running Late. Here's What It Means For California

CALIFORNIA — La Niña will come later than anticipated, forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center said, likely forming in the fall.

In a recent announcement, forecasters said La Niña conditions are favored to emerge during September through November in California. Previously, national meteorologists said the climate pattern would occur between July and September.

National Weather Service climate modeling, indicates there’s a 74 percent chance La Niña will last through winter, impacting rain and snow levels.

A La Niña winter usually means drier and warmer conditions across the southern U.S.

Southern Californians may see less rainfall and snowfall than in previous years and an increased risk of wildfires.

Northern Californians may also see below-average precipitation, but the pattern is less predictable, according to forecasters. Conditions in NorCal during La Niña are more variable, so some areas could still experience periods of heavy rainfall.

However, La Niña is running late.

Current conditions across most of the equatorial Pacific Ocean are ENSO-neutral, meaning neither El Niño nor La Niña patterns are in place.

"Although the rate of SST cooling has been slower than previously anticipated, below-average subsurface temperatures and low-level easterly wind anomalies remain conducive to La Niña development in the coming months," NOAA said in a statement.

The last month has seen average sea surface temperatures, but temperatures 300 meters below the surface are cooler than average according to NOAA Climate Scientist Tom DiLiberto. The below-average water temperatures will be one of the driving forces for La Niña forming later this year, DiLiberto said.