La Niña

American  

[lah nee-nyah] / lɑ ˈni nyɑ /

noun

1. a cool ocean current that develops off the coast of Ecuador and Peru, sometimes following an El Niño but causing nearly the opposite extreme weather conditions.

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La Niña British  

/ læ ˈniːnjə /

noun

1. meteorol a cooling of the eastern tropical Pacific, occurring in certain years

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La Niña Scientific  

/ länēn′yä /

1. A cooling of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring somewhat less frequently than El Niño events but causing similar, generally opposite disruptions to global weather patterns. La Niña conditions occur when the Pacific trade winds blow more strongly than usual, pushing the sun-warmed surface water farther west and increasing the upwelling of cold water in the eastern regions. Together with the atmospheric effects of the related southern oscillation, the cooler water brings drought to western South America and heavy rains to eastern Australia and Indonesia.

2. Compare El Niño

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Etymology

Origin of La Niña

First recorded in 1985–90; from Spanish: literally, “the female child”; patterned after El Niño ( def. )

Example Sentences

Sea surface temperatures were slightly lower than in 2023 and 2024, largely because conditions shifted from El Niño to La Niña in the tropical Pacific.

From Science Daily

Global temperatures in 2025 did not quite reach the heights of 2024, thanks to the cooling influence of the natural La Niña weather pattern in the Pacific, new data from the European Copernicus climate service and the Met Office shows.

From BBC

One such variable is the switch between the weather patterns El Niño and La Niña.

From BBC

El Niño years tend to be warmer as a global average, while La Niña years are typically cooler.

From BBC

The return of La Niña conditions is thought to have suppressed warmth in 2025.

From BBC