La Niña
noun
La Ni·ña
lä-ˈnē-nyə 
-nyä
-nyä
plural La Niñas
: an irregularly recurring upwelling of unusually cold water to the ocean surface along the western coast of South America that often occurs following an El Niño and that disrupts typical regional and global weather patterns especially in a manner opposite to that of El Niño
Examples of La Niña in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2024, when sea temperatures cooled down (the La Nina phase), forecasters predicted a heavy hurricane season – and that’s what happened.
—
Renny Vandewege, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Just last month, climate scientists were predicting that 2025 wouldn’t be as hot as 2024 or 2023, with the La Nina a major reason.
—Seth Borenstein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Due to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean, the jet stream is buckled to the north and all the rain storms are being steered away from southern California.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia towards the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago, the country's weather agency has warned.
—Reuters, 27 Nov. 2024
The 2024 season was always projected to be quite active due to anomalously warm sea surface temperatures, La Nina and other factors.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Rising temperatures, frosts in Brazil, three consecutive years of La Nina and other extreme weather have been hurting coffee production in recent years, putting pressure on supply.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2024
With a forecasted La Nina — a temporary natural cooling of parts of the central Pacific — the last four months of the year may no longer be record-setters like most of the past year and a half.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2024
The National Weather Service predictions for the winter are favoring a La Nina pattern, which indicates cooler and wetter weather, said NWS meteorologist Crystal Oudit.
—Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Renny Vandewege, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Just last month, climate scientists were predicting that 2025 wouldn’t be as hot as 2024 or 2023, with the La Nina a major reason.
—Seth Borenstein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Due to La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean, the jet stream is buckled to the north and all the rain storms are being steered away from southern California.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
Extreme weather is expected in Indonesia towards the end of 2024, as the La Nina phenomenon increases rainfalls across the tropical archipelago, the country's weather agency has warned.
—Reuters, 27 Nov. 2024
The 2024 season was always projected to be quite active due to anomalously warm sea surface temperatures, La Nina and other factors.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Rising temperatures, frosts in Brazil, three consecutive years of La Nina and other extreme weather have been hurting coffee production in recent years, putting pressure on supply.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2024
With a forecasted La Nina — a temporary natural cooling of parts of the central Pacific — the last four months of the year may no longer be record-setters like most of the past year and a half.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2024
The National Weather Service predictions for the winter are favoring a La Nina pattern, which indicates cooler and wetter weather, said NWS meteorologist Crystal Oudit.
—Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“La Niña.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/La%20Ni%C3%B1a. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
La Niña
noun
La Ni·ña
lä-ˈnē-nyə
-nyä
-nyä
: an irregularly occurring movement of deep cold water to the ocean surface along the western coast of South America that often occurs after an El Niño and that disrupts weather patterns especially in a manner opposite that of an El Niño
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share