You have probably heard meteorologists toss around the terms La Niña or El Niño, but have you ever wondered what it means?
It can get a bit confusing. La Niña is usually considered the “cool phase” of a natural climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean. But it doesn’t exactly mean that we have cooler weather here in Oklahoma. In fact, it’s the opposite.
When ocean waters along the equator become cooler than normal, wind patterns shift and change how storms move around the globe. Typically, it pushes the jet stream north which steers the main storm track — snow and cooler air — away from Oklahoma.
So, in short, La Niña brings us a warmer and drier winter, especially across the southern plains.
For winter 2025, NOAA’s long-range outlook suggests that we are heading into a weak La Niña phase. That means the pattern isn’t expected to be extreme, but it still tips the odds toward above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation across most of Oklahoma.
So what can we expect? Probably fewer strong winter storms and more mild, dry stretches between the cold fronts. Our snow chances will also drop a bit, but as Oklahomans know, it only really takes one strong Arctic blast to change that.
Kirsten Lang is a Tulsa-based meteorologist and contributor to the Tulsa Flyer.
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