May 08, 2025 04:04 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Ensure smooth functioning of essential services: Amit Shah tells states in security review meet after Operation Sindoor | Ensure smooth functioning of essential services: Amit Shah tells states in security review meet after Operation Sindoor | Seven Pakistani soldiers killed, five injured in bomb attack on military convoy in southwestern Balochistan | Modi, Albanese eye to advance India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during telephone conversation | Hold dialogue with all political parties on caste census: Mallikarjun Kharge writes to PM Modi | PM Modi meets NSA Ajit Doval amid India's wait for retaliation against Pahalgam terror attack | Pakistan grilled at UNSC amid rising tension with India after Pahalgam terror attack | 'We'll do everything we can': US House Speaker backs India in fight against terrorism after Pahalgam attack | Centre asks several states to conduct security mock drills amid tensions with Pakistan, first since 1971 | PM Modi holds meeting with Defence Secy as India plans retaliation against Pahalgam attack
La Nina
WMO says weak La Niña weather event is likely to be brief. Photo Courtesy: WMO/Aster Niel Abellano

Weak La Niña weather event is likely to be brief, says World Meteorological Organization

| @indiablooms | Mar 07, 2025, at 06:05 pm

The weak but significant La Niña weather event that began in December is likely to be brief, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced.

La Niña, a natural climate phenomenon, results in cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures and influences weather conditions worldwide. The latest forecasts from WMO indicate sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are expected to return to normal. 

The agency says that there is a 60 per cent chance conditions will shift back to what scientists call an ENSO-neutral temperature range during March-May 2025, increasing to 70 per cent for April-June 2025. 

ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation)-neutral simply means the ocean is neither unusually warm (El Niño) nor unusually cool (La Niña). Likewise, the probability of El Niño developing is very low during this period, the agency said. 

According to WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, El Niño and La Niña associated forecasts are critical for early warnings and taking preemptive action. 

“These forecasts translate into millions of dollars’ worth in economic savings for key sectors like agriculture, energy and transport, and have saved thousands of lives over the years by enabling disaster risk preparedness”.

Also Read: January was the warmest on record, announces World Meteorological Organization

La Niña, with its large-scale cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, changes wind, pressure, and rainfall. Typically, it brings climate impacts opposite to El Niño, especially in tropical regions. 

For instance, during El Niño, Australia often experiences drought, whereas La Niña can bring increased rainfall and flooding. In contrast, parts of South America may experience drought during La Niña but wetter conditions during El Niño.

Bringing the heat

Notably, these natural climate events are currently occurring alongside human-caused climate change, which is warming the planet and causing more extreme weather. According to WMO, January 2025 was the warmest January on record, despite the cooler La Niña conditions.

The agency looks at ENSO but also issues regular Global Seasonal Climate Updates (GSCU) that provide a more comprehensive climate outlook based on other key patterns such as those in the Atlantic and Arctic. These updates also track sea temperatures, global and regional temperature and rainfall changes.

With most maritime regions set to be warmer than normal, except in the eastern Pacific, WMO forecasts above-average temperatures across nearly all land areas worldwide during the upcoming season.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Close menu