La Nina

Extensive drought is expected to continue for now in parts of the nation. That according to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey. The core drought areas are the far west, the northern Rockies and the northern plains. The short term outlook does not look particularly good, with more hot, dry weather expected for the rest of the summer and into the early autumn. In late autumn and winter the possibility of La Nina conditions returning for the cold season could determine if drought continues in some locations. For the southern half of the west, from California to the Four Corners states. A return of La Nina could mean a return of more significant drought conditions. While For the northern half of the Country… typically not always during La Nina, we tend to see colder weather conditions during the late autumn and winter during La Nina across the northern United States. One of the biggest things to be watching as we move into the autumn and winter months later in 2021 is to try to answer the question of just what might happen with the status of the equatorial Pacific, meaning, do we slip back in to a second consecutive year of La Nina or will we have neutral conditions as we move into the cold season? The Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service has issued a La Nina watch, meaning that there is the potential for re-emergence of La Nina conditions during the cold season. if that were to occur. That is a concern for the southern half of the western US California to the Four Corners states, La Nina could return and enhance the drought that still exists across that region. You know, if that were to happen, La Nina returns, that could actually bode well for some of our northern drought areas, places like Washington, Oregon, eastward through the Dakotas and Minnesota.