la niña
/lə ˈniːn.jə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A sustained negative sea-surface temperature anomaly of more than 0.5°C across the equatorial zone of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean; the negative phase of the multi-year ENSO cycle, which causes variations in local and regional weather patterns.
Example Sentences
- "Climate scientists think a La Niña event may develop this summer, meaning water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean will be cooler that normal. Although the relationship is not fully understood, historically there tends to be more hurricane activity during a La Niña event."
- "Scientists predict that La Niña this winter will lead to below average precipitation in a large swath of California, stretching from the Bay Area to the state’s southern border. They expect warmer than average temperatures for Southern California and eastern parts of Central California."