LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- California forecasters are hedging on predictions for winter, citing a lack of El Nino or La Nina effects, a condition they describe as "La Nada."
El Nino conditions occur when tropical ocean temperatures warm, typically sending wetter weather toward Southern California. The opposite La Nina effect brings cooler ocean temperatures and drier weather, the Los Angeles Daily News said.
"Those conditions give you some guidance in long-term forecasts," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "When you have neutral conditions, that's La Nada. La Nada makes the forecast tough."
Temperatures in downtown Los Angeles were 2.9 degrees below normal in June, 1.2 below normal in July, 2.1 below normal in August and 5.5 below normal so far in September.
