Austin and much of Central Texas, following a summer that surprised many with its relentless heat, now appear to be entering a phase characterized by drier and warmer conditions. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center has announced a La Niña watch, indicating that conditions are becoming favorable for this climate phase to emerge later this year.
This summer, Texas experienced a series of scattered storms and intermittent rain, breaking the usual pattern of relentless heat that often results in triple-digit temperatures.
Meteorologists attribute the current conditions to a neutral phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by Pacific Ocean waters that are neither unusually warm nor cool. Forecasters are now indicating that a shift to La Niña may occur by the fall or winter months…