Tuesday February 18, 2025
KUSI —
Conventional knowledge in California about whether residents should prepare for significant rainfall — or drought conditions — in any given year has largely been tied up in the climate patterns of El Niño and La Niña.
El Niño periods are typically associated with periods of heavy precipitation for southwestern states in the contiguous U.S., including the Golden State, due to storms charged by warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.
La Niña describes the opposite effect: The temperature of the Pacific Ocean near the equator drops, often stymieing development of such storms.
But there have been deviations from the standard effects seen during an El Niño and La Niña period. For instance, a La Niña climate pattern was observed back in 2023, when California experienced a drought-breaking torrent of rainfall.