La Niña Begins, Potentially Delaying Rainy Season by Weeks

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California’s fire season already got an early start this year, now a weather phenomenon could stretch it out at as late as December, as The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marked the first day of La Niña on Thursday.

It’s the lesser-known cousin of El Niño and cools off the waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean, making the north pacific jet stream weaker. 

Michelle LaRoux is with the NOAA climate prediction center and told KCBS Radio that La Niña makes the North Pacific Jet stream weaker.

“The changes in the jet stream will reduce, or increase the chances of reducing, rainfall,” she said.

It’s here! Today NOAA declared that #LaNina conditions are now present. Read more at @NWSCPC: https://t.co/1SoztfCqpc pic.twitter.com/XuYf0npd6Q

— National Weather Service (@NWS) September 10, 2020

Laroux said La Niña isn’t the only climate phenomenon in town and weather can still be influenced by other factors and can come in many forms, oftentimes with drier conditions. But it’s no sure thing and La Niña simply tips the scales.

“You can think of it as putting its thumb on the scale for reoccurrence of certain weather patterns,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily make them inevitable, but it just tilts the odds.”

In some areas of the state, it could delay the rainy season by weeks to even a month, which isn’t welcome news for a state looking for any kind of precipitation it can get.

The impacts of La Niña would be felt in December or even January and based on the jet stream, it’s possible that the upper third of California gets hit with heavier rains with the bottom two-thirds seeing dry weather. It’s all part of the guessing game that is the 2020 fire season.

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