(Reuters) — The current La Nina phase of the climate cycle will most likely transition during the March-to-May period to ENSO-neutral conditions, a United States government weather forecaster said on March 8, a development that brings equatorial Pacific Ocean temperatures, rainfall patterns and winds closer to average.
The ENSO-neutral condition, affected by neither the El Nino nor La Nina climate phenomenon, is expected to last into the second half of 2018, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said.
The CPC’s monthly forecast pegged the chance of ENSO-neutral conditions at about 55 percent during the March-May period. The projection was unchanged from last month when the agency said the La Nina weather cycle was likely to transition into more neutral conditions by spring.
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La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and is linked with floods and droughts. It is the opposite phase of what is known as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.
La Niña emerged in 2016 for the first time since 2012, before fading in early 2017.
Typically less damaging than El Niño, La Niña tends to occur unpredictably every two to seven years.
