La Nina weather pattern to continue
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, has confirmed that the La Nina weather pattern that began to develop a couple of months ago is here, and looks to continue.
La Nina is the flip side of the warmer El Nino pattern, and is responsible for a busier Atlantic and Gulf Hurricane season, a drier Southwest and a more fire prone California. La Nina is a Spanish term meaning 鈥渓ittle girl,鈥� and El Nino means 鈥渓ittle boy.鈥� The names come from fishermen in South America who noticed the changing weather around Christmas and referred to the Christian Christ Child.
So far, the prediction is right on track with 30 named storms in the Atlantic and Gulf, and Hurricane Delta bringing more destruction and misery to the Gulf Coast. Out west the fires continue, although a bit of relief is helping in the Pacific Northwest with cooler temperatures and a bit of moisture along with changing winds that favor a more onshore direction.
California alone has had over 8,000 fires this season, resulting in the loss of 4,000,000 acres or 6,250 square miles 鈥� the size of the entire state of Connecticut. Entire villages and small towns have been incinerated along with 8,700 buildings. Thirty-one people have tragically died.
The fires this year have burned more territory that all the fires in total for the years 1932 through 1999.
As to the dry weather in the Southwest, Las Vegas has now had 170 days in a row without any measurable rain. The city averages just a scant 4.19 inches per year, and back in 1953 only recorded a half inch for the entire year. With the tremendous increase in population and building growth in recent decades, this looks like trouble ahead. To put this into perspective, Uniontown averages 40 inches per year and in our driest month, October, we still get 2.80 inches.
We established a new world蘑菇视频 heat record this summer with 130 degrees being recorded at Death Valley, and Phoenix registering over 50 days with temperatures of 115 degrees or better and a new record high of 117 degrees.
Surely this information should help us realize that our climate here is not ideal, but it is far better than the often touted climate of the West and Southwest.
In general, if a La Nina weather pattern were to continue into the fall and winter it usually means a drier winter in the south and southwest and somewhat wetter in the Pacific Northwest and the Ohio valley. Perhaps good news for the fire-plagued Pacific Northwest, but continued bad news for California as the drier winter sets the stage for next year蘑菇视频 fire season.
La Nina has a tendency to shift snow storms further north than normal which may be good news for our area but remember winter will still arrive across Southwestern Pennsylvania, and with it will come plenty of cold and snow. For skiers this may not be good news but for those who like the milder winters of the past few years this may be just what they want to hear.
Recent winters have been milder and this looks to continue. Still plenty of beautiful Southwestern Pennsylvania autumn weather along with the colorful display of our woods and forests to enjoy.