Posts Tagged ‘SoCal gardeners’
Conditions in the Pacific Ocean seem to be shifting toward the return of the La Niña weather phenomenon, the lesser-known relative of the El Niño weather anomaly, according to forecasters at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. What does that mean for SoCal gardeners? Experts say a lot less rain in an area already plagued by drought conditions.
“Right now, I’d say the dice seem loaded for an imminent La Niña,” Bill Patzert, a long-range forecaster at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena told the San Diego Tribune. “It’s not a good sign. La Niña is what I call the diva of drought for the Southwest.”
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center said a large number of computer models indicates “the onset of La Niña conditions.”
La Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, compared to El Niño, which is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures.
In the past several weeks, ocean temperatures have dropped significantly. And from Bill Patzert, “For those who think in terms of “normal” rainfall for Los Angeles: “Normal is a cycle on a washing machine.”
The prediction map below is from the National Weather Service site. The first map is for Sep-Oct-Nov/2010 and the last map is for Aug-Sept-Oct/2011. The white areas are normal rainfall, the green above normal, and the brown areas are below normal. I’m tearing out my lawn as soon as I can afford it.
