A highly rare weather phenomenon is slated for this summer. After three consecutive years with La Niña winters transition to an El Niño for the 2023 – 2024 winter, meteorologists expect a quick change back to La Niña for summer 2024. The trend is rare, although not unprecedented. Historically, a strong El Niño in winter usually points to a La Niña summer or fall. The change comes from the abrupt relaxing of trade winds over the Pacific Ocean, leading to the surface temperatures to climb two full degrees.

So, what does this transition mean for the historic drought conditions dotting much of the country? It doesn’t lend confidence to the spring forecast and precipitation patterns across the U.S. How fast El Niño decays will influence how much precipitation can be expected.

Read more on trending weather patterns here.