Jacksonville, FL. — La Nina is a weather phenomenon that occurs thousands of miles away from Jacksonville but can affect our weather in a big way.
So we head to the Pacific where the La Nina does “its thing” which is a cooling of sea surface temperatures a little either way of the equator.
The current La Nina began last year during the late winter and spring and has continued well into this year. Typical impacts for our area include a drier than average spring which can lead to a serious wildfire season followed by an active hurricane season.
There is typically “sinking” air over the Pacific – causing drier conditions – while there is a tendency for “rising” air - & more rain – over the Atlantic.
La Nina conditions can change global weather patterns.
Forecast models indicate this 2nd year La Nina should slowly weaken through mid-summer. This would imply a potentially slow start to our wet season. And while the La Nina may be mostly dissipated by the peak of the hurricane season in September, there may very well still be some impact leading to a higher number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.