La Nina Versus El Nino - How These Affect Our Weather

Most people are familiar with the fact that in Spanish La Nina means girl and El Nino means boy. But these terms are also associated with weather patterns. El Nino is a weather pattern that we've heard about over the years. But there is also a less well known weather pattern called La Nina. What exactly is the difference between these two weather patterns?

La Nina is when the sea surface temperatures are cooler than normal in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, near the equator off the west coast of South America. El Nino is exactly the opposite, when the sea surface temperatures are warmer than normal in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, near the equator off the west coast of South America.

When these weather patterns are present, they often lead to extreme winter weather conditions. During La Nina winters in the United States, significant cold air outbreaks and precipitation can be more frequent across the northern tier of the country while the southern states may experience less storms and precipitation. An El Nino weather pattern can result in the West Coast having a stormy winter, a wet winter across the southern states, and milder than average winter for the northern tier of the country.

La Nina and El Nino occur on average every 3-7 years. La Nina typically lasts up to 2 years and El Nino usually lasts up to 18 months.

This winter, 2011, sea surface temperatures indicate we are having a La Nina winter.

Source:

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/38971/la-nina.asp