Here’s What The New La Niña Watch Means For Illinois’ Summer

A specific new watch has been issued and it could be problematic.

Climate change is an ongoing discussion and a lot of us already know what El Niño is. For us in the U.S., NOAA says that the system can cause the Midwest to be really warm and dry and it can cause flooding in the Southeast U.S.

But a La Niña watch has just been issued and according to NBC Chicago, it'll have impacts on us in the Midwest. The watch expects over half of the world to move into a La Niña system between June and August so here's what that can mean for us.

Are We Done With The Snow?

God I hope we're done with the snow. Obviously there's no way to know for sure, but under a La Niña system, winters tend to be warmer, though researchers say Illinois is prone to "cold snaps and heavy snow events".

And hey, the groundhog did see an early spring.

Are We Going To Fry This Summer?

Yep. It's going to be a hot summer with a La Niña system on us. Researchers say that with La Niña, summers can be hotter and drier for us than normal.

And I mean hot. Experts say 2024 could beat out summer 2023's record heat.

Fall will probably be cooler and wetter.

Meanwhile, the western U.S. is expected to deal with droughts from La Niña but the question is still where will the system be going? The last time a strong La Niña happened was the 2010-2011 season, according to Golden Gate Weather Services.