Okay, I’ll Bite… What is La Niña?

Might have to put your hot vax summer on hold for a sec.

The wilder weather reports of summer floods and rain, and talk of La Niña in the news might have you a little confused.

The Bureau of Meteorology declared a La Niña Summer late last month which unfortunately isn’t as trendy and exotic as it sounds.

You might be wondering: what the heck is La Niña and why should we care? We’re about to break that all down for you.

What is La Niña?

Let’s start with a fun fact.

La Niña is Spanish for “The Girl”. It’s part of a weather phenomenon called the El Niño Southern Oscillation. El Niño is its drier, warmer counterpart, and it’s Spanish for “The Boy”.

Just two cute little gal and guy climate drivers hangin’ out. Cute.

According to ABC Weather, La Niña happens when the waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean are colder than usual, and the western ones are warmer.

This then sets off strong winds and moisture over the Northern and Eastern states in Australia.

Essentially, La Niña brings with her lots of rain and a higher risk of flooding and cyclones.

This year's La Niña summer follows on from last year, which doesn’t happen that often. But experts reckon this one won’t be as disruptive as the last time they went back-to-back.

What does this mean for Aussie Summer?

The Bureau of Meteorology says La Niña is likely to stick around until end of January.

According to their Summer Outlook, the areas most likely to be hit by heavy rainfall and flooding include Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania.

Perth, it looks like you’re the winners here.

The Guardian reports NSW has already experienced its wettest November since at least 1900, and Queensland is already facing floods.

Despite temperatures typically being cooler throughout these events, increased humidity means heatwaves still aren’t off the table. Dr Andrew Watkins from BOM says these heatwaves tend to be less extreme, but longer and more humid.

There is some good news… Bushfire risks are lower.

La Niña and Omicron arriving to ruin summer pic.twitter.com/Mk1kKYRZby

— Nick Bond (@bondnickbond) November 30, 2021

What have mozzies got to do with it?

Alright, let’s finish off with another fun fact–apparently, where there’s rain, there are bulk mosquitoes.

Mozzies love warmth and water meaning their populations have grown a heap over the past few La Niña-ridden weeks.

And, as if we didn’t have enough things to make sure we’re careful of, more rainfall increases mosquito-borne diseases. Cool. Love that for us.

Dr Cameron Webb, a Professor from NSW Health Pathology told 9 News the risk is low, but it’s still there.

Catch me inside all summer then, I guess.

Make sure you check out BOM for all the latest La Niña updates. Having a brolly on hand probably wouldn’t hurt either.

Header Image: Nate Watson via Unsplash