La Niña returns: What it could mean for Minnesota’s winter
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The Climate Prediction Center has officially issued a La Niña advisory, signaling that cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures have returned to the eastern Pacific.
La Niña is back
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has officially issued a La Niña advisory, confirming that widespread cooling of Pacific waters and matching atmospheric patterns meet the criteria for La Niña conditions. La Niña conditions are present and expected to continue through December 2025 to February 2026.
La Niña is a climate pattern where sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become cooler than average. When this happens, it can influence weather patterns across the United States.
How does this pattern affect Minnesota winters?
La Niña often leads to colder-than-average temperatures and wetter conditions across the northern U.S., including the Pacific Northwest, northern Plains and Midwest. Meanwhile, the southern U.S. typically experiences warmer and drier-than-average weather.
At this time, La Niña is expected to remain weak, which could mean its typical winter effects will be less noticeable this season.
NOAA predicts conditions will transition back to an ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) neutral state between January and March 2026. This means the Pacific Ocean temperatures will return to normal — not too warm like El Niño or too cool like La Niña.
Though La Niña may nudge the forecast, Minnesota’s winter weather is never guaranteed and can always throw us a curveball.
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