La Niña Weather Pattern May Spawn an Active 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season
The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season will officially begin on June 1, and a La Niña weather event may occur during this year’s season. The combination of a La Niña and extremely warm sea surface temperatures may help to increase the number of cyclones that develop in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
2024-03-01 19:23:17 - VI News Staff
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a division of the National Weather Service (NWS), issued a La Niña Watch on Feb. 8, explaining that there is a 55 percent chance of La Niña developing between June and August.
During a La Niña cycle, the waters across the equatorial Pacific Ocean cool significantly, affecting global weather. During La Niña, wind shear — a change in wind direction and velocity with height in the atmosphere — also typically decreases in the Atlantic Ocean. A reduction in wind shear can favor cyclone development. This pattern is the opposite of El Niño, a warming of the equatorial Pacific, which usually increases wind shear in the Atlantic Ocean, helping to rip apart storms and preventing hurricane formation and intensification. A cycle of El Niño has been occurring since June 2023.