IRI says moderate-to strong La Niña conditions to continue

The latest set of forecasts from the International Research Institute for Climate and Society indicate that we’re going to see La Niña persist at least into late spring.

La Niña conditions continue in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Below-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) exist from the west coast of South America to west of the dateline. Based on the latest observations and forecasts, there is a 96% probability of maintaining La Niña conditions over the coming season.

La Niña is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ccean, and thus the opposite of El Niño, which is defined by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the same region.

IRI also has temperature and precipitation forecasts here.

• IRI’s Climate Briefing for March (0)
• IRI’s Climate Briefing for February (0)