(Reuters) -The La Niña weather pattern could potentially develop during the August-October season, and last through the 2021-22 winter, the U.S. government’s National Weather Service said on Thursday.
The La Niña pattern is characterized by unusually low temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and is linked to floods and drought.
Meanwhile, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are favoured for the remainder of the northern hemisphere summer, the NWS’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said in its monthly forecast.
There is about a 60% chance of ENSO neutral conditions for the July-September season, and a 70% chance of La Niña from November through January 2022, the CPC said.
The ENSO weather pattern is marked by average long-term ocean temperatures, tropical rainfall and atmospheric winds.
Last month, the forecaster said there was a 51% chance of ENSO neutral conditions for the August-October season.
(Reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
