Search the SPREP Catalogue

The 2021-22 La nina event has ended. However, observations and cimate model outlooks suggest La nina may reform later in 2022. Most climate models surveyed by the Bureau indicate ENSO is likely to remain neutral through the southern hemisphere winter.

The 2021-2022 La Niña event has weakened slightly in the tropical Pacific over the past fort-night. Climate outlooks indicate a return to neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) levels-neither La Niña nor El Niño-late in the southern hemisphere autumn (April to May 2022).

The 2020-21 La Niña is likely to have peaked with respect to atmospheric and oceanic patterns in the tropical Pacific. However, impacts associated with La Niña such as above-average rainfall, are expected to persist in the Western Pacific into early March.

La Niña continues in the tropical Pacific. International climate models suggest it is likely to continue to at least February 2021. • La Niña is likely to have peaked but impacts are expected to persist to March. • A moderate to strong Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) pulse is expected to move slowly eastwards into the central Pacific in the next week or two. • The OLR total and anomaly maps suggest the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was less active than normal. The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) on the other hand, was active and shifted to the southwest. • The January Rainfall image is dominated by a large area of reduced convection stretching over the western to central equatorial Pacific, with the main centre west of the Date Line. • January Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) anomaly negative anomalies east of about 160° in the tropical Pacific. Positive anomalies were present in the southern sub-tropical Pacific east of Samoa.

The December rainfall image is dominated by a large area of reduced convection stretching over the western to central equatorial Pacific, with the main center west of the date line.