The La Niña climate pattern is forecast to return this fall and last through the winter of 2021-22, federal forecasters reported Thursday.
La Niña – a natural cycle marked by cooler-than-average seawater in the central Pacific Ocean – is one of the main drivers of weather in the U.S. and around the world, especially during the late fall, winter and early spring, according to a report from USA TODAY.
The Climate Prediction Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released the forecast Thursday, officially declaring a "La Niña watch" for the September-November time frame.
More:La Niña climate pattern should return this fall and last through winter. Here's what to expect.
So what does that mean for Greater Cincinnati?
La Niña is just one part of a complicated weather pattern but it could mean wet weather in Greater Cincinnati.
La Niña favors the build-up of colder than normal air over Alaska and western Canada, which often penetrates into the northern Great Plains and the western United States. But the southeastern United States becomes warmer and drier than normal, the National Weather Service said.
Large portions of central North America, like the Midwest, experience increased storminess, precipitation and more cold-air outbreaks. The National Weather Service said the Ohio and Upper Mississippi River valleys may be wetter than usual.
During a La Niña season, forecasters in Louisville have said that we typically see an average warmer than normal winter and wetter than normal conditions in the Ohio Valley.
"The influence of La Niña on the Ohio Valley is not very strong," forecasters in Louisville said.
"Historically for this part of the Midwest, fall tends to be warmer and drier than normal while winters tend to be wetter than normal. However, there are also many other complicated factors in the atmosphere and oceans that can also impact our weather patterns," forecasters in Northern Indiana said.
USA TODAY contributed to this article.
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