Six sides, endless possibilities
The world witnessed a year marked by extreme weather events in 2024, from devastating hurricanes to catastrophic floods. Now as we settle into 2025, the looming threat of La Niña adds another layer of uncertainty to the global climate picture.
This winter, La Niña has arrived later than expected but has already started influencing weather patterns. This prominent climate phenomenon is known for significantly shaping winter weather, particularly in the United States. By shifting the jet stream, it alters key weather dynamics, leading to cooler temperatures across regions from Alaska to the northern Plains, while areas such as the desert southwest and southeast experience warmer, drier conditions. Beyond North America, La Niña’s impact is also felt globally, especially near the western Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, where meteorologists predict an intensification of rainfall and storms through March.
Meteorologists closely track both La Niña and El Niño because they influence global weather patterns, often leading to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes.
Curious to understand the potential impacts of La Niña globally and in your area? Click through this gallery to find out more.
Earth's weather and climate are shaped by a complex interplay of factors, from our solar system's influence to atmospheric dynamics and seasonal cycles.
Adding to the complexity, every few years, Earth undergoes El Niño and La Niña events, two contrasting phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.
Periods of average conditions are referred to as "ENSO-Neutral." However, fluctuations in wind and ocean temperatures can trigger El Niño or La Niña events.
These cycles typically last between two and seven years, with individual El Niño and La Niña events lasting nine to 12 months, though they can persist for several years.
Earth's spherical shape causes uneven solar heating. The Equator, directly facing the Sun, receives more intense sunlight than the poles, which are angled away.
Like steam rises from a boiling pot, the direct sunlight at the Equator warms the air and moisture, causing it to rise into the atmosphere. As this warm, moist air ascends, it cools and condenses, forming clouds and contributing to the lush rainforests located in the area.
Warm air continues to rise at the Equator, pushing cooler air towards the poles. This cooler air then sinks and flows back towards the Equator, completing the Hadley Cell cycle.
Earth's rotation deflects surface winds created by Hadley Cells toward the Equator, a phenomenon known as the Coriolis Effect. This effect forms the trade winds on either side of the Equator, and changes in these winds signal the onset of El Niño and La Niña events.
ENSO's impact on Earth's climate is ancient, evident in paleoclimate records. While documented since the 1500s, its mechanisms were only understood in the 20th century when a study of the Indian monsoons led to the discovery of the Southern Oscillation. This recurring seesaw pattern of air pressure across the tropical Pacific Ocean is a key component of ENSO.
Unlike Hadley Cells, which circulate air North and South, this oscillation—known as Walker Circulation—moves air East and West across the equatorial Pacific. Driven by trade winds and ocean temperature, this circulation pattern plays a crucial role in shaping global weather patterns.
Every few years, fluctuations in Pacific Ocean temperatures and trade winds signal a shift in the Walker Circulation. These shifts, known as El Niño and La Niña events, can disrupt global weather patterns and ecosystems. But what happens during each of these events?
El Niño, the warm phase of ENSO, features warmer-than-average Pacific Ocean temperatures. This disrupts normal weather patterns, leading to droughts in Asia and intense storms in the Americas. Atmospheric rivers, long, narrow bands of moisture in the sky, can bring heavy rain and flooding to coastal regions.
El Niño's effects vary regionally, often reversing normal weather patterns. Areas like East Asia and the Amazon, typically wet, experience drought during El Niño. Conversely, usually dry regions like Western North America can see significant rainfall.
After months of record-high ocean temperatures, devastating coral reefs, intense drought in the Amazon, and extreme North American rainfall, one of the strongest El Niño events on record ended in June 2024.
With La Niña here, how will global and local weather patterns be affected? As the opposite extreme of El Niño, La Niña brings its own set of weather changes, varying by region.
La Niña is characterized by strong trade winds and cooler-than-average Pacific Ocean temperatures. Unlike El Niño, which reverses normal conditions, La Niña typically intensifies neutral conditions in most parts of the world, with a few exceptions.
La Niña strengthens the East-to-West trade winds, pushing warm surface waters westward and allowing cold, nutrient-rich water to rise to the surface in the eastern Pacific.
While La Niña typically brings colder, wetter winters to northern North America and warmer, drier winters to the south, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted a 40-50% chance of above-average temperatures for New York State this winter.
La Niña weakens wind shear, a natural barrier to hurricane formation. This could lead to a more active Atlantic hurricane season, especially for regions like Florida. The 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons, both occurring during La Niña years, were particularly active.
The record-breaking warm sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic further contribute to specialists' concerns about a potentially severe hurricane season.
For East Asia and Australia, La Niña often brings increased rainfall. Australia experienced severe flooding during the last La Niña event. The Indian monsoon is also favored during La Niña, leading to above-average rainfall. However, these effects may take a few months to manifest, especially in South Asia.
Except for some western African regions that may experience increased rainfall, La Niña tends to exacerbate droughts in eastern Africa. Recent La Niña events have led to devastating droughts in the region, particularly in 2022, where the March-May rainfall was the lowest on record.
While the connection between ENSO and Europe is less direct due to distance, La Niña is expected to bring cooler temperatures to central and western Europe this winter. Additionally, reduced precipitation is forecast for the mainland, with increased rainfall in the North and South.
As we transitioned from El Niño to an intense La Niña phase in 2025, many regions, especially in North America, will face significant challenges. Industries like agriculture, energy, and disaster management, heavily reliant on stable weather patterns, will need to adapt to the shifting climate conditions.
Farmers must closely monitor changing precipitation patterns as the shift from El Niño to La Niña can significantly impact growing conditions. Regions that experienced wet conditions in 2024 may face drought-like conditions if La Niña returns in late 2025.
Energy companies must prepare for increased heating demands during colder La Niña winters. Additionally, drought conditions in certain regions can impact hydroelectric and renewable energy generation, potentially leading to power outages.
Given the increased risk of hurricanes and other extreme conditions during La Niña, 2025 could be a challenging year for disaster preparedness. Governments and communities must remain vigilant and ready to respond to potential disasters.
While the exact impact of global warming on the ENSO cycle remains uncertain, scientists predict it will likely be amplified. Recent history shows El Niño and La Niña events becoming stronger and more frequent, leading to more extreme weather like droughts, floods, heatwaves, wildfires, and severe storms.
The recent 2020-2024 La Niña events demonstrates how global warming is amplifying ENSO's effects. Record-breaking global temperatures since summer 2023, primarily driven by record-breaking ocean warmth, and the 2024 breach of the 1.5°C global warming threshold raise concerns about the potential impact of the upcoming La Niña event.
Sources: (Astrum) (The Economic Times) (University of Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine) (Advancing Earth and Space Sciences Journal) (Hydrorain)
See also: Watch out for these nature warnings before a natural disaster
What to expect from La Niña in 2025
A closer look at 2025's weather forecast
LIFESTYLE Global climate
The world witnessed a year marked by extreme weather events in 2024, from devastating hurricanes to catastrophic floods. Now as we settle into 2025, the looming threat of La Niña adds another layer of uncertainty to the global climate picture.
This winter, La Niña has arrived later than expected but has already started influencing weather patterns. This prominent climate phenomenon is known for significantly shaping winter weather, particularly in the United States. By shifting the jet stream, it alters key weather dynamics, leading to cooler temperatures across regions from Alaska to the northern Plains, while areas such as the desert southwest and southeast experience warmer, drier conditions. Beyond North America, La Niña’s impact is also felt globally, especially near the western Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, where meteorologists predict an intensification of rainfall and storms through March.
Meteorologists closely track both La Niña and El Niño because they influence global weather patterns, often leading to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes.
Curious to understand the potential impacts of La Niña globally and in your area? Click through this gallery to find out more.