According to the
weather reports, the sea surface temperatures have continued to increase in
October and November in the tropical Pacific. Due to this reason, experts have
predicted that there will be fierce La Nina climate pattern
in the upcoming winter.

Here’s the question:
Why is the weather in the Pacific Ocean of interest to the people living in The Eastern United States? Like, the Atlantic Ocean is simply a ride away. Well,
the reason is that La Nina pattern plays a critical role in determining the
weather globally. Therefore, whatever happens during the winter can be majorly
influenced by the happening of La Nina.

The impact of La Nina
is critical in the far northern United States, as the region gets colder by the
day, and it’s even warmer and drier in the South. However, the influence is
less certain in the Mid-Atlantic region, like in New Jersey.

State Climatologist,
David Robinson has claimed that La Nina doesn’t hold strong signals in New
Jersey. Hence, they’re simply holding on to areas that have the power to hold
stronger signals. He further noted that the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes are
comparatively wetter and the ones in the Southeast tend to be drier. 

New Jersey is one of
those places that don’t necessarily show a vast difference in the temperature
during winters. The Garden State normally has a temperature that is slightly
warmer than average. When you view this in light of La Nina winters, you’ll
find that in New Jersey, La Nina winters bring less snow that otherwise.

Jim Sullivan is a
long-range weather forecaster who works for WeatherWorks. He believes that
stronger La Nina tends to bring milder winters for New Jersey. Thus, according
to him, the area experiences average or below-average snowfall around this
time. He has also made effort to analyze all trends of La Nina winters since
the late 80s. So far, he has established seven trends that were geographically
similar to the current La Nina.

If you compare the more
recent ones, you find that the 2017-2018 season was colder than the usual in
New Jersey. We also witnessed a couple of small snowstorms in December that
were followed by a blizzard that covered the land of Jersey Shore in the early
months, like January and February. March was a monster on its own – from
coastal storms came a lot of snow, resulting in the snowiest March in the record.
You could say that is was one of the top ten snowiest march in the Garden State
history.

In the winter of
2017-2018 New Jersey was covered in 40 inches of snow. This us predictably 14
inches higher than the average. The statewide record happens to be of 62.8
inches.

Another trend seen in
the winter of 2010-2011 is that of heavy and cold snow. There was apparently 68
inches of snow, the Atlantic region, in fact, got covered in 38 inches which is
much higher than the norm.

But again, it must be
noted that not every eastern-based La Nina brings heavy snow to New Jersey. So
basically, not every La Nina winters will have the same influence. But all
climate specialists would agree that La Nina is simply one factor that
influences the weather. If you truly want to see the major contributor, then
you must understand the strength of the polar vortex. These are the bands of
frigid that circulate around the North Pole. Therefore, when the polar vortex
is strong, the cold air gets locked up in the Arctic region. Similarly, if the
polar vortex is weak, the frigid air drifts lower into the United States,
increasing chances of snow.

Here’s what you should
expect before going in LA Nina. If La Nina and the rest of the atmospheric
signals strengthen, New Jersey will have its shot of snow in the beginning of
December. If all goes as per the predictions, the temperature during the
Christmas time will go up and down regularly. Apparently, the air will also get
colder in January as the projection at the polar vortex weaken.

“Because
of that, it could turn out that January is the coldest winter month for New
Jersey, and the country in general. January might be the best month if you want
cold and some snow.” – Sullivan predicts.

He is predicting the
February will be warmer with not enough snow in the region – normally, it’s the
snowiest season. But he believes that all of this is awfully difficult to
predict. With one big storm, things can change dramatically.

Hence, he concluded his
prediction with this: “Still, coastal
storms aren’t common in a La Niña winter, and the most common storm track
through the eastern Great Lakes tends to transport mild air toward New Jersey. Thus
snowstorms, if they occur, maybe white at the start and then turn to rain.
Yes, not uncommon in many a winter, but more likely in a La Niña one.”

What are your
predictions? How do you think will La Nina affect winter? What do you propose
should be La Nina’s atmospheric response? The La Nina events predict La
Nina conditions and trends.

Now it must be clear that there is a global impact
of La Nina share your views about La Nina discussion below in the comment section! Also, don’t forget to keep your children safe. Click here for some tips!