Here’s What You Should Know About a La Niña Winter and Its Ramifications

Have you ever heard the phrase “triple dip La Niña” and wondered what the meteorologist meant? Or have you experienced a brutal winter and wondered if and when a La Niña could effectively be "over?" And what does it mean in layman’s terms when the weather report predicts a La Niña or El Niño?

We make sense of these terms and more below so that you can keep your family and companion animals safe throughout the weather seasons. Armed with a thorough and competent understanding of climate pattern terminology, you are empowered to make decisions that help your family avoid weather-related catastrophes and survive unkind conditions.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the term "La Niña" translates to "little girl" in Spanish and causes strong trade winds to push warm water to the east while cold water is pushed towards the west.

Flooding often accompanies a La Niña winter in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S., while temperatures are colder than usual in the north and warmer in the south.

In the colder, nutrient-rich waters off the Pacific coast, marine life that enjoy colder water, such as squid and salmon, are better supported and able to thrive, according to the NOAA website.

According to the National Weather Service, La Niña patterns usually occur every 3-to-5 years.

NOAA forecasted a 57 percent chance of a slow-to-develop La Niña coming to fruition based on data from October 2024.

As ABC News Chief Meteorologist and Chief Climate Correspondent Ginger Zee noted in October 2024, temperatures were warmer than usual in the Northeast, much warmer than normal in the Southwest and Southeast, and cooler than normal in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S.

As expected, per The Weather Channel, NOAA issued a La Niña advisory on Jan. 9, predicting that these conditions are expected to last into April 2025. Conditions, per the Jan. 9 NOAA advisory, are expected to return to El Niño/Southern Oscillation-neutral by May 2025.

As the television station KHOU 11 News Houston noted in an Instagram post that was further detailed by meteorologist Chris Ramirez, parts of Texas are experiencing "dangerously cold wind chills" and freezing rain and snowfall, which poses a risk to the safety of those in the area.

This doesn't mean, however, that all parts of Texas will be affected uniformly throughout the state.

In October 2024, San Antonio Express-News wrote on Instagram that La Niña could cause a warmer, drier winter for San Antonio and various parts of Texas. The Bryan, Texas-based station KBTX noted on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 2025, this particular La Niña is unlike La Niña patterns in the past. Some parts of Texas, like the Brazos Valley, are not expected to experience much of a difference to their winter weather

During El Niño conditions, according to the BBC, trade winds are reversed from their usual direction, blowing warm water to the east. Warmer global weather is facilitated by El Niño conditions, while La Niña conditions are generally said to drop temperatures.

El Niño weather conditions bring fewer hurricanes than La Niña conditions. In an El Niño winter, northern areas of the U.S. and Canada are dryer than normal as the southern region experiences wetter conditions than normal.