La Niña comes to an end as we head into hurricane season

The Climate Prediction Center says La Niña has ended, and the forecast calls for neutral conditions through the summer months.

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What You Need To Know

• The Climate Prediction Center says La Niña has ended
• We expect neutral conditions to continue through August
• There’s a chance that La Niña may return by late fall

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We look to global climate patterns, such as La Niña and El Niño, to help predict our local and seasonal forecasts. Shifts in the water temperature near the equatorial Pacific Ocean, while in a localized area, have global effects.

El Niño is the warming phase of water temperatures around the Pacific Equator. La Niña is the opposite. Due to an intensification of normal weather patterns, the ocean surface temperatures cool as winds strengthen and blow warm water toward the west.

The Climate Prediction Center says La Niña has ended and shifted into neutral. These conditions are forecast to continue through August, but there’s already a greater than 50% chance that La Niña may return as early as late fall. 

The concern? The potential impact on the Atlantic hurricane season. Last year, La Niña was a factor for a very active season that went into the Greek Alphabet with a record-breaking 30 named storms.

Neutral conditions may limit the impact on tropical development, but above average water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Caribbean may not. These warm, tropical waters will promote conditions favorable to tropical development, and forecasts are already hinting at an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic. 

Prepare now for hurricane season

Since an above-average season appears more likely than not, now’s the time to prepare for the next storm. We don’t want to scare you. We want to prepare you.

Do you have an emergency kit ready to go? Make and practice a plan with your family, so you’ll be ready to take action when the next storm develops.