According to CBS News Sci-tech:
“We’re seeing a shift to the La Nina, it’s clearly in the data,” NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said. La Nina, a cooling of the mid-Pacific equatorial region, has not officially begun because it’s a process with several months with specific temperature thresholds, but the trend is obvious based on satellite and ocean measurement data, he said.
“It certainly won’t be welcome news for those living off the coast right now,” Lautenbacher said. But he said that doesn’t mean Atlantic seaboard residents should sell their homes.
Forecasters don’t know how strong this La Nina will be. However, it typically means more hurricanes in the Atlantic, fewer in the Pacific, less rain and more heat for the already drought-stricken South, and a milder spring and summer in the north, Lautenbacher said. The central plains of the United States tend be drier in the fall during La Ninas, while the Pacific Northwest tends to be wetter in the late fall and early winter.
Of special concern is west Texas which is already in a long-term drought, which during a La Nina will likely get worse, Lautenbacher said.
Historically, El Ninos and La Ninas are difficult to forecast, said National Center for Atmospheric Research senior scientist Michael Glantz
They don’t put alot of confidence into it, iow.
The ‘Old Farmers Almanac‘ says, for the Ohio Valley:
The first half of April will be rather cold, but mid-April through May will be much warmer than normal, with some of the yearÕs hottest temperatures in mid-May. Precipitation in April and May will be near or slightly below normal.
Summer temperatures will be near normal, on average. Rainfall will be a bit below normal in the east, a bit above in the west. The hottest periods will be in late July and mid-August.
And finally… Climate predictions on Weather Hazards for this year.
