Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
ABOVE: A minivan drives through water on state Highway 202 in early January. BELOW: Cars cross a submerged section of U.S. Highway 101 south of Seaside in early January.
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Plains will probably have particularly cold
temperatures. Some of the effects even
started months ago, as the fall Atlantic hur-
ricane season had almost double the aver-
age number of storms, driven by the desta-
bilized atmosphere La Niña often causes.
And if the weather patterns continue into
spring, the Midwest could see a stronger
tornado and storm season.
Though they can affect weather year-
round, both La Niña and El Niño are felt
most strongly in winter. So what does that
look like for us this year? While I’m not
a meteorologist, I’ll be planning for very
wet, cold conditions here in the Pacific
Northwest for the remainder of winter.
This region routinely sees more precipita-
tion during La Niña, and because climate
change has disrupted the jet stream, our
normally mild winters have been impacted
more frequently in recent years by cold
Arctic air, and this year could see the same.
If so, then we may be in for more snow and
ice.
There is no set pattern of when we’ll
have a La Niña or El Niño year. I remem-
ber as a child hearing about the 1986-1987
El Niño on the news, and being told that
it “occurs every seven years.” This isn’t
strictly true, as the time between El Niño
years may be anywhere from two years to
over a decade, and the same goes for La
Niña. Moreover, La Niña or El Niño con-
ditions can extend through more than one
year, though they may not show the same
intensity every time. La Niña tends to
appear across multiple consecutive years
more frequently.
What is more probable is that climate
change will continue and average tempera-
tures will continue to climb as weather pat-
terns become more disrupted. This includes
La Niña and El Niño, as both are projected
to become stronger, and severe years will
become more frequent. “El Niño South-
ern Oscillation in a Changing Climate,” a
new book published in November, brings
together the knowledge and research of
more than 95 experts representing 50-plus
research facilities from 16 countries to
explore how El Niño-Southern Oscilla-
tion — and by extension La Niña and El
Niño — may change over the next several
decades.
As for me, I’m going to make sure that
I’m well prepared for at least one Pacific
Northwest Snowpocalypse each year,
because we’re likely in for an increasingly
rough ride.
Rebecca Lexa is an Oregon Master Nat-
uralist, nature educator and writer living on
the Long Beach Peninsula. More about her
work may be found at rebeccalexa.com.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022 // 5