The Return of La Niña is Near, You Need to Know Why That’s Bad News For Texas

The eastward winds of El Niño are fading, but a terrible little girl we know as La Niña is brewing on the horizon. And it doesn't bode well for those of us who live in Texas.

These two forces are climate patterns that have a butterfly effect on the rest of the world. With El Niño, the temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean drop by half a degree Celsius; with El Niña, the inverse holds true.

The key difference between El Niño and La Niña in how it impacts Texas is that the former brings about a wet winter, the latter brings warmer, drier weather.

And for drought-stricken Central Texas in particular, that's no bueno.

The Forecast

Weather experts say that El Niño will fade completely between now and June. There may be a period of neutral weather, but we can expect a rapid cycle over to La Niña by June or August at the latest.

What To Expect

If there is not enough rainfall in these remaining weeks of El Nino, then La Niña will only serve to worsen the ongoing drought in the Lone Star state. The 2011 drought that sparked some of the worst wildfires in Central Texas and compelled the city of Austin to prohibit restaurants from serving water was associated with La Nina's climate pattern.

So get ready to conserve water and keep your go-bags packed. The current period of drought and wildfire have not come to an end just yet.