Meteorologists Predict La Niña Phenomenon May Appear Early Next Year with Weak Impact and Short Duration
The Cool Weather Phenomenon La Niña may emerge in the coming months, but it is likely to be weak and short-lived due to the significant impact of skyrocketing global temperatures, according to a United Nations (UN) report on December 11. Currently, there is a 55% probability that La Niña conditions will develop by the end of February, as reported by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The likelihood of this phenomenon occurring between mid-February and April is similar.
The impact of La Niña is insufficient to offset the effects of soaring global temperatures. (Photo: The Peninsula Qatar).
Earlier this year, the WMO anticipated that the return of La Niña would help lower temperatures slightly after months of record global temperatures, partly caused by the opposite phenomenon, El Niño. This weather pattern has affected the entire planet for a year since June 2023. However, WMO Director Celeste Saulo warned that La Niña may have a very minimal impact after 2024, which is on track to become the hottest year on record.
“Even if La Niña occurs, its short-term cooling effect is insufficient to offset the warming effect of greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere. In the absence of both El Niño and La Niña since May, we are still witnessing a series of extreme weather events, including record rainfall and flooding becoming increasingly common as climate conditions change,” Saulo stated.
La Niña is a natural climate phenomenon that lowers ocean surface temperatures in many vast areas of the Pacific, accompanied by winds, rainfall, and changes in atmospheric pressure. In many locations, especially in tropical regions, La Niña produces climatic effects opposite to those of El Niño, which raises ocean surface temperatures, leading to droughts in some parts of the world and promoting heavy rainfall in others.
Although both are natural events, the WMO emphasizes that they are occurring against a broader backdrop of human-induced climate change, which raises global temperatures, exacerbates extreme weather, and affects seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns.
