Will La Niña Mean A Dry Winter In The Southwest?

Cool equator there in the Pacific! Great! It's part of the magic of La Niña.

La Niña tends to mean dry times in the American Southwest, but so far that dryness isn't showing up. It's been only slightly drier than normal lately in the Southwest, with the South and the Mississippi River Valley instead catching the dryness. The good news - no hurricanes so far this year in the South - also means lower-than-normal rainfall there. A double-edged sword! In addition, the Southwest should see precipitation in the time remaining for October. There is a system rolling across the Southwest even now! So, there is a bit of cognitive dissonance on the climate front right now.

Nevertheless, the three-month outlook is still for dryness in the southern U.S., from coast-to-coast, but with major dryness in the Southwest.

We'll see!