Will Winter 2011-2012 be another multiple huge snowfall event? Maybe!
Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center forecast La Nina to gradually strengthen and continue into winter. The drought-stricken states of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico will continue to see much below normal precipitation while the Pacific northwest and northern Plains will be much colder. In the deep south, La Nina portends a warmer winter.
HOW WILL LA NINA AFFECT MIDDLE TENNESSEE?
Here in middle Tennessee, La Nina winters have had a history of being colder and wetter than normal. Much of middle Tennessee enjoyed the snow last winter during La Nina. Nashville had a December to remember (to steal a line from the Lexus TV advertising campaign) when it came to snow. From National Weather concerning December 2010
WHAT IS LA NINA?
La Nina is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon located over the tropical Pacific Ocean and results from interactions between the ocean surface and the atmosphere. During La Nina, cooler-than-average Pacific Ocean temperatures influence global weather patterns. La Nina occurrs, typically, every 3 to 5 years and back-to-back episodes occur about 50% of the time. Current conditions reflect a re-development of the June 2010-May 2011 La Nina episode. The strong 2010-2011 La Nina contributed to record winter snowfall, spring flooding and drought across the United States.