Weather, La Niña is coming: Here are the effects (1/2)

 

As we know, creating accurate weather forecasts is sometimes very difficult. This is because global climate change is becoming increasingly noticeable.

These changes have serious consequences for the global climate. We know for certain that the seasons are no longer what they used to be and that global warming is unfortunately leading to increasingly frequent extreme weather events, including heat waves.

In the summer of 2026, which has just begun, we are experiencing record temperatures in many parts of our country. Just consider that summers only ten years ago were significantly cooler, with temperatures around 27–28 degrees Celsius, while today there are many days with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and peaks of up to 40 degrees Celsius.

The last two summers, 2024 and 2025, clearly demonstrated the rise in global temperatures, while recent winters in Italy have not been particularly cold. For example, significantly less snow has fallen in the mountains, while drought persists in the south.

La Niña is about to arrive in Italy. Click on the second page to learn more about its dramatic impact.

There is also important news regarding the weather. According to the mathematical models of the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME), the opposite of El Niño, La Niña, could occur by the end of 2026.

This refers to the warming (Niño) or cooling (Nána) of Pacific waters. The latter is currently particularly warm.

The occurrence of La Niña typically influences the global climate, particularly in Southeast Asia and Oceania, but also in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in Europe. La Niña generally brings cooler temperatures because it triggers the circulation of moist air masses.

This leads to strong typhoons in Southeast Asia and parts of Oceania, causing, for example, a very cool summer in countries like Australia (when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa). Since the Pacific Ocean is also expected to remain warmer than average during the Southern Hemisphere's summer, there is a possibility that La Niña will not have its usual consequences; in fact, its effects could be weakened. This would result in a Southern Hemisphere summer with extreme weather conditions, but still warm, and an unusually cold winter in Europe.

The effects of La Niña could differ in Italy. The scenario for Europe serves as a reference point. In our country, the occurrence of La Niña between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027 could bring a mild winter with abundant precipitation, which in turn is due to the persistently warm ocean waters, including the Mediterranean. We will see what happens, but the possibility of a mild winter, even with La Niña, is not so unlikely.