Here’s how La Niña could impact New York’s winter forecast

La Niña is forecast to extend into the winter months before potentially giving way to the return of ENSO-neutral conditions. But just what does any of that mean for New York residents?

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle, otherwise known as the ENSO cycle, is a recurring climate pattern pertaining to changes in the water temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, according to the National Weather Service .

Over time, the sea surface temperatures tend to either warm up or cool down. This is what the weather service refers to as the ENSO cycle.

Cycle-neutral conditions are present when water temperatures are normal, neither below nor above-average. In this stage, residents typically experience seasonal conditions and the phenomenon is generally not a driving forc