(CNN) — As a taste of fall gives much of the United States a break from a hot, humid summer , some forecasters are already skipping ahead to winter, and a possible homecoming for an important atmospheric player: La Niña .

La Niña has about coin-flip odds of emerging this fall, with a 53% chance from September through November, according to the latest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts . It has a slightly better chance – 58% – of emerging by the end of the year. The odds are good enough to have triggered a La Niña watch from NOAA.

Once it arrives, it’s likely to stick around for much of the winter and make its mark on the country’s temperature and precipitation patterns before it diminishes in early spring.

As a refresher: La Niña is a natural climate patt

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