A U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday La Nina has ended and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are likely to continue through the northern hemisphere summer.
ENSO neutral conditions refer to those periods in which neither El Nino nor La Nina is present, often coinciding with the transition between the two weather patterns, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC).
There is a 67% chance the pattern will be seen in the June to August period, but “La Nina chances are around 50-55% during the late fall and winter,” the CPC said.
The ENSO weather pattern is marked by average long-term ocean temperatures, tropical rainfall and atmospheric winds.
The La Nina pattern is characterized by unusually low temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and is linked with floods and drought.
The center predicted last month a transition from La Nina to neutral conditions, with an 80% chance of the ENSO pattern during May-July 2021.
(Reporting by Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan Harvey)
