What is La Niña?

La Niña is a weather pattern that begins in

the Pacific Ocean. Warm ocean water and

clouds move west during a La Niña. This

means that places like Indonesia and

Australia can get much more rain than

usual. And places like the southwestern

The United States can be very dry.

The oceans play an important role in

Earth's weather. Rain clouds normally

form over warm ocean water. When

strong winds cause this warm water to

move, the clouds and storms move,

too.

"Good Morning kids! Today's topic is the La Niña , Who's the clever one that will tell me what happens in normal conditions?

"I know! In normal conditions, winds above the

Pacific Ocean gently push warm water west.

That warm water travels from the west coast

of South America all the way to Indonesia.

As the warm water moves, cold water from

the bottom of the ocean slowly rises up to

take its place."

"Wow! You're such a brave intelligent girl Riwa. Seems like you were focused last class."

"Now open your ipads and search up for what happens during La Niña as a group."

In a La Niña year, the winds above the Pacific Ocean are much, much stronger than usual. This usually happens once every few years.

The winds are so strong during a La Niña

(Spanish for "the girl") that they push lots of warm ocean water west toward Indonesia. And

that means that lots of cold water rises to the surface near South America.