California drought: La Niña will not bring relief. Jeff Bliss @JCBliss #PacificWatch

Photo:  La Niña, the counterpart to El Nino, alters rainfall patterns over the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. La Nina develops when stronger-than-average trade winds push the warm surface waters of the equatorial Pacific west.  Since cold water rises to replace the warm water, La Nina leaves the eastern and central Pacific Ocean much cooler than normal, while the western Pacific is much warmer than normal.  These anomalies in sea surface temperature are mirrored in rainfall patterns, with warmer-than-normal temperatures resulting in enhanced rainfall.  In general, La Nina brings unusually heavy rain to the West Pacific, Indonesia, parts of Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.

Jeff Bliss @JCBliss #PacificWatch 

La Niña will not bring relief. Jeff Bliss @JCBliss #PacificWatch 

California drought: La Niña could dash hopes of desperately needed rain this winter -- The punishing drought conditions afflicting most of California are expected to endure for months, climate experts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said Thursday. There is a 60% chance, NOAA experts said, of a La Niña event this winter — conditions that would likely bring about a cool and very dry winter. San Francisco Chronicle