The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released information Thursday declaring it will be another La Nina year weatherwise. Officials say a La Nina has developed and will extend through the second winter in a row. La Nina means that waters that run along the equator will be cooler than normal, thus making it less of chance of stronger, wetter winter storms that will come through Northern Arizona. The National Weather Service in Flagstaff says during La Nina years between 1971 and 2000, Flagstaff has seen nearly six-inches of precipitation, or just over 58-inches of snow. In comparison, in El Nino years, or warmer waters along the equator, Flagstaff has nearly 16-inches of precipitation, or over 107-inches of snow. Officials say El Niño and La Niña don’t make it a 100-percent guarantee that it will be wetter or drier than normal, but they tend to tip the scales in that direction. This isn’t a good year for a La Nina, as most of Arizona is in drought conditions and last year’s drier winter season spawned a larger fire season and severe drought.
Click here for the NOAA Release On La Nina: