La Niña’s Likely Return Will Undo Some of Past Year’s Crop Havoc
- Pattern expected later this year may bring rain to West Africa
- Still, dry weather could hurt yields for Brazil coffee, sugar
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A La Niña weather pattern looks likely to form later this year, potentially unwinding the devastating agricultural impacts of the strongest El Niño in almost a decade that just came to an end.
Although the world is currently idling in a neutral state, there’s a 70% chance of La Niña emerging sometime between August and October, with the expectation it will last into the Northern Hemisphere winter. During La Niña, the tropical Pacific Ocean is cooler than average, putting in motion a series of potential impacts, from stronger rains in Asia to dryer conditions in parts of South America.