Here is a new term for me. I have not heard of the term “Atlantic Niña” before. But according to NOAA’s ENSO blog, an Atlantic Niña is similar to a Pacific La Niña in that it brings colder than normal ocean water to the surface of the eastern Atlantic. NOAA is expecting one to form in the eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean soon, and that could have implications for this year’s hurricane season. If we get a pool of colder than normal water in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, that could put a damper on the development of long-track hurricanes that form near the Cape Verde Islands in the heart of the Atlantic tropical season. That would be good news for us, since this is supposed to be a very active year, and the likelihood of damage to the Southeast from one or more storms later this year (after what we already experienced from Debby) is not small. It will be interesting to see how an Atlantic Niña might affect the rest of the tropical season this year. You can read more at https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/atlantic-nina-verge-developing-heres-why-we-should-pay-attention.
