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Image: Adam Hartman, NOAA/NWS/NCEP/CPC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer
After a record-breaking drought, much of the West and Southwest has been hoping for a winter of rain. But with scientists predicting a second consecutive winter with La Niña conditions, the dry spell may be prolonged. La Niña is a climate pattern that tends to produce droughts in the West and hurricanes in the East. This week the NOAA issued an advisory noting an 87% likelihood that La Niña will affect winter weather across the US.
Why this Matters: Another year of La Niña could exacerbate the western drought, which has engulfed 93% of the West, with close to 60% of the region in extreme or exceptional drought. These conditions have an even more disastrous effect coupled with climate change, which has left western regions mired in drought conditions and fire vulnerability.
La Niña occurs when surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator are particularly cold. Winds push warm water west, and this water evaporates and becomes rain clouds, affecting weather globally.
Mega-storms caused by atmospheric rivers were once thought to be once-in-a-millennia occurrences, but atmospheric rivers are flooding California more frequently due to the warming atmosphere. The latest mega-storm may put a dent in the mega-drought, but experts say California may be trapped in a vicious wet/dry cycle. It may not be time for Californians to build an ark just yet, but climate-resilient infrastructure would […]
By Amy Lupica, ODP Daily Editor As California’s summer fire season comes to a close, autumn’s Santa Ana winds have intensified a fast-moving wildfire now terrorizing Santa Barbara County. The Alisal fire began Monday afternoon. Since then, it has engulfed 16,801 acres and is only 5% contained, according to CalFire. As a result, a portion […]
By Amy Lupica, ODP Daily Editor According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have been 18 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2021, surpassing 2020’s disaster costs with almost three months still left until 2022. Experts say that weather events across the spectrum, including wildfires, hurricanes, and severe weather, are not […]
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