La Niña Watch Issued: What It Means for Fall and Winter Weather
Elena Martinez
Last weekLa Niña Watch Signals Pending Climate Shift
On August 14, the National Weather Service officially issued a La Niña Watch, flagging the potential emergence of a short-lived, weak La Niña pattern by fall and early winter 2025–26.
While the climate currently remains in an ENSO-neutral state—marked by near-average equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures—subsurface ocean readings are trending cooler, nudging toward La Niña thresholds.
Climate models mostly agree that this temporary dip into La Niña territory is likely before reverting back to neutral conditions in spring.