North India set to shiver in Jan, Feb? Weather phenomenon La Nina explained
During La Nina, trade winds are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia. This leads to increasing in upwelling off the west coast of the Americas, which brings cold water to the surface.
A weather phenomenon associated with harsher winters is set to severely impact the climate in India, according to weather experts. La Nina is threatening to send the temperature in North India plunging to as low as 3 degrees Celsius.
January and February will be particularly cold, according to forecasters, after which the temperature will recover, a report in Bloomberg stated.
It also said that La Nina appears to have emerged across the equatorial Pacific, setting the stage for worsening droughts in California and South America, frigid winters in parts of the US and Japan and greater risks for the world’s already strained energy and food supplies.
What is La Nina?
La Nina means Little Girl in Spanish. According to National Ocean Service of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NIAA), US Department of Commerce, La Nina is also sometimes called El Viejo, or anti-El Nino.
The phenomenon begins when the atmosphere reacts to a cooler patch of water over the Pacific Ocean. Signs have been emerging for months that the pattern was likely forming, marking the world's second La Nina in a row.
La Nina - like its counterpart, El Nino - usually peaks in the Northern Hemisphere's winter, but its effects can trigger widespread consequences across the globe.
What happens during La Nina?
Explaining the phenomenon, NOAA said it forms after reverse interaction of weather conditions with trade winds, the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region.
During normal conditions in the Pacific Ocean, trade winds take warm water from South America towards Asia. To replace that warm water, cold water rises from the depths, and the is called upwelling.
La Nina is one of the two opposing climate patterns that breaks these normal conditions.
Strong currents during La Nina
During La Nina, trade winds are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia, said NOAA. This leads to increasing in upwelling off the west coast of the Americas, which brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface.
These cold waters in the Pacific push the jet stream northward. NOAA added that La Nina can lead to a more severe hurricane season.
How long do these weather phenomenon last?
Episodes of La Nina typically last nine to 12 months, but can sometimes last for years. Such events occur every two to seven years, on average, but they don't occur on a regular schedule. Generally, El Nino occurs more frequently than La Nina.
