La Niña, a Spanish phrase meaning "the girl," is a weather phenomenon that is the direct reverse of El Niño. People sometimes describe La Niña as the anti-El Niño or El Viejo (the old man).
This phenomenon has an impact on weather patterns in all regions of the world. In some places, this phenomenon causes extensive droughts, while in some places it leads to the formation of deadly storms.
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La Niña impacts
La Niña happens when there is a significant drop in sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean. When these temperatures reach lower than normal levels, which usually happens during the later stages of autumn and the early stages of winter, a ripple effect is felt across North America and other parts of the world. world.
Rain
In some parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia (India), the phenomenon leads to increased rainfall. Consequently, agricultural activities in these areas grow. For example, in March 2008, temperatures dropped to around 35.6 °C, which caused large amounts of rain in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
floods
Destructive floods are another consequence of this phenomenon. For example, the 2010 La Niña led to the formation of destructive floods in certain regions of Australia, such as Queensland. In 2010, Queensland suffered the most destructive floods ever, displacing more than 10,000 people and causing damage worth more than $2 billion. Bolivia also had a similar experience in the past.
droughts
While the occurrence leads to wetter-than-normal conditions in certain parts of the world, it has the direct opposite effect in other parts. Reduced temperature around the Central Pacific leads to reduced cloud formation, which causes a subsequent drop in precipitation. This situation is also valid for areas on the tropical west coast of South America, on the Gulf coast of the USA and in the lowlands of South America.
In East Africa, dry conditions between December and February are caused by this phenomenon. The severity and timing of these conditions depend on the severity of La Niña that year. In recent times, the unpredictability of weather patterns means that weather conditions are unpredictable and random compared to earlier times.
Relationship between La Niña and El Niño
A common misconception is that La Niña has to happen immediately after an El Niño occurs. While this is not entirely false, the likelihood of an El Niño transitioning into a La Niña is higher if the former is strong enough.
