La Niña Is Over: Get Ready For Unpredictable CA Weather

CALIFORNIA — After just a few short months of La Niña conditions, forecasters on Thursday said this past winter's weather phenomenon is over.

According to the Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the combination of below-average temperatures weakening in the central Pacific Ocean and the westward expansion of very warm water in the far eastern Pacific helped to dissipate the cooler surface of La Niña.

Now, forecasters predict conditions will remain neutral in the Northern Hemisphere, including California, through this fall.

“'ENSO-neutral' means that neither El Niño nor La Niña are in effect, and global seasonal conditions are less predictable," forecasters said in a blog post.

In October 2024, forecasters predicted La Niña would develop in the fall but would likely be a weak event. La Niña eventually developed in January when below-average sea surface temperatures were recorded in the Pacific.

La Niña means the surface water is cooler than average, the trade winds are stronger and the central equatorial Pacific receives less rain. On the other hand, El Niño is represented by warmer surface water, weaker trade winds and more rain in the central and sometimes eastern Pacific.

La Niña typically brings dryer winters to Southern California and wetter-than-average winters to the Pacific Northwest.

This past winter, Southern California saw below-average precipitation, whereas parts of Northern California experienced wetter-than-normal conditions.

Forecasters said ENSO-neutral is likely through the summer, which means Californians could be in for some potentially wild weather.

“Without an El Niño or La Niña signal present, other, less predictable, climatic factors will govern fall, winter and spring weather conditions,” Bill Patzert, a climatologist formerly with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a NASA post.

Chances for El Niño or La Niña increase later in the year, forecasters said, with La Niña chances about double those of El Niño; however, neutral is still the highest probability through the early winter.

SEE ALSO:

• CA's Snowpack Falls Below Normal: What To Expect From Weak La Niña Winter
• Here's What La Niña Could Mean For Winter Temps, Rainfall In CA