The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting this winter to be dominated by a weak La Niña in the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean.
La Niña is generally understood to result in drier-than-average winters in California. However, as recent examples have shown, the exact opposite can and has happened during weak La Niñas.
In fact, some of the biggest winters in recent years have occurred while the Pacific was experiencing a weak La Niña. The official forecast from the Climate Prediction Center for California this winter is for “equal chances” of being either above or below average, but what exactly does that mean and how did they come to that?…