La Niña Watch issued for late fall and early winter

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has issued a La Niña Watch for November through January.

La Niña is part of an ocean/atmosphere connection called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), where conditions along the equator in the Pacific Ocean swing between El Niño, La Niña, and Neutral.

While we are currently in a Neutral ENSO pattern, CPC forecasters have reported that La Niña conditions are favorable to develop late fall into early winter (a slightly greater than 50% chance) before reverting back to Neutral late winter.

What does that mean for Siouxland?

La Niña conditions mean that Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota will likely be cooler than average during the fall and winter, while precipitation will most likely remain around average for the KTIV viewing