Overview
- The Climate Prediction Center reports a 75% chance La Niña will transition to ENSO‑neutral between January and March while continuing to influence winter weather.
- ENSO‑neutral conditions are favored through late spring, and forecasters place the chance of El Niño developing by late summer at about 61%.
- A typical La Niña winter tends to be wetter and colder in the Pacific Northwest and drier across much of the southern United States, according to CPC guidance.
- California has seen a wetter‑than‑expected start to the water year driven by strong atmospheric rivers, with statewide precipitation at roughly 157% of normal and LAX near 230% of normal.
- Heavy storms have lifted most major reservoirs above seasonal averages and left snowpack near 91% of normal, though groundwater remains depleted in some areas, state experts say.