NOAA warns La Niña has a 75% chance of plaguing the US with hurricanes and drought through winter

Parts of the US are battling wildfires, while others are cleaning up after the strongest hurricane to hit in 160 years – but a new report suggests more extreme weather could be on the horizon.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent out a warning that La Niña conditions were present in the Pacific Ocean last month and is set to make its way to the US.

This weather phenomenon forms by a build-up of below average cooler water that lowers surface temperatures – experts observed the surface at 26.6 degrees Fahrenheit over the past few weeks. 

Michelle L’Heureux at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center told DailyMail.com: ‘The current NOAA CPC outlook for the upcoming winter is showing a tilt toward drier conditions for the southern tier of the U.S. and wetter conditions over the northern tier of the U.S.’ 

The government agency also notes there is a 75 percent chance of La Niña continuing through the Northern hemisphere winter until early 2021, which could bring more hurricanes and droughts to areas. 

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NOAA observed below-average temperatures stretching across the central and eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean in August, along with atmospheric circulation anomalies hanging over the surface – the sure sign La Niña has arrived.

One-third of the US was labeled in at least a moderate drought last month, with more than 93 percent of land area in Utah, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico at some level. 

And the Central US has been enduring a period of dryness as well, coupled with above average temperatures.

Southern California is also in the midst of the region’s hottest summers, according to the National Weather Service. 

The US Drought Monitor shows above average dryness is plaguing 11 US states in the west, covering nearly 87 percent of land area – and more than half of California is in drought.

Rain is in dire need for much of The Golden State as it battles the worst wildfire season on record, which has scorched more than 2.5 million acres of land since starting in August.

California’s winter is typically the rainy season, which tackles Santa Ana winds spreading fires that have already ignited.

However, with La Niña forming, the area will experience less rain and drier conditions that could heighten this wildfire season.

‘This time of year, the Southwest is typically dry, and the onset of La Nina will likely not change this expectation,’ L’Heureux said.

‘In fact, the latest CPC drought outlook shows the maintenance and slight expansion of the drought region for the September-November season. ‘

‘The greatest impacts from La Nina are not usually felt until the winter months.’ 

The weather pattern also increases hurricanes forming in the Atlantic, which can hit coastal regions of Florida and areas along the Gulf.

Hurricane Laura blew through Louisiana last month that brought 150 mile per hour winds rushing through the southern state.

And with La Niña brewing in the last three months of hurricane season, this could mean more storms are on the way that have even more power to release on land.

‘Typical La Nina patterns during winter include above-average precipitation and colder-than-average temperatures along the northern tier of the U.S. and below-normal precipitation and above-average temperatures across the South,’ L’Heure’ux explaind.