A weak La Nina is developing in the Pacific Ocean, bringing cooler-than-average water temperatures to parts of the Pacific that could influence Colorado's weather patterns in the coming months.
La Nina impacts Colorado's weather differently from fall to winter, creating varying conditions across the state's diverse geography.
During winter months, La Ninas usually produce above-average temperatures over the plains but not in the mountains. For precipitation in winter, the pattern becomes more complicated.
In general, La Ninas tend to favor above-average mountain moisture in December and January with normal precipitation over the plains.
In the fall, active La Ninas produce gusty winds and dry air which can lead to high fire danger. Thankfully this year, Colorado had relatively consistent rainfall in late summer to keep the fire danger low.
La Ninas are commonly associated with warmer and drier conditions in southern Colorado. However, this is a relatively weak La Nina event, which limits the impact it will have on weather patterns.
With a weak La Nina, other large-scale weather patterns play more of a role in the long-range forecast. Most of them are not showing a big trend one way or the other right now.
The developing La Nina ultimately fuels the active fall jet stream pattern. This means you can expect warmer-than-average temperatures and below-average precipitation this fall.
Because it's weak, Colorado will still get decent snow during the first part of winter, but the best storms should be in the first few months of next year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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