This week NOAA announced the end of the latest El Nino event, as ocean conditions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean returned to normal temperatures as they swing from unusually warm conditions (associated with the El Nino) to colder than normal temperatures associated with La Nina. Their forecast indicates that we will probably be in La Nina conditions by the July-September period and will stay in this status through the winter.
La Nina conditions are linked to unusually active Atlantic hurricane seasons, which in part explains why the tropical forecasts this year have stated they expect a large number of named storms. La Nina is also linked to warmer and drier conditions in the Southeast than normal in the winter months. That could mean more overwintering of pests and diseases and dry soils in spring, so producers should keep that in mind. If you are harvesting timber, you might be able to get heavy equipment into areas that are normally too soggy to hold the machines.
You can read the latest advisory at https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml.
