what does el nino and la nina mean
La Niña
La Niña ( / lɑːˈniːnjə / , Spanish pronunciation : ( la ˈniɲa ) ) is a coupled ocean - atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño -- Southern Oscillation climate pattern . The name La Niña originates from Spanish , meaning `` the little girl '' , analogous to El Niño meaning `` the little boy '' . It has also in the past been called anti-El Niño , and El Viejo ( meaning `` the old man '' ) . During a period of La Niña , the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3 to 5 ° C. In the United States , an appearance of La Niña persists for at least five months . It has extensive effects on the weather in North America , even affecting the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons . 
La Niña ( / lɑːˈniːnjə / , Spanish pronunciation : ( la ˈniɲa ) ) is a coupled ocean - atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño -- Southern Oscillation climate pattern . The name La Niña originates from Spanish , meaning `` the little girl '' , analogous to El Niño meaning `` the little boy '' . It has also in the past been called anti-El Niño , and El Viejo ( meaning `` the old man '' ) . During a period of La Niña , the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3 to 5 ° C. In the United States , an appearance of La Niña persists for at least five months . It has extensive effects on the weather in North America , even affecting the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons .
La Niña is a coupled ocean atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño - Southern Oscillation climate pattern. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3 to 5 ° C. In the United States, an appearance of La Niña persists for at least five months.
La Niña ( / lɑːˈniːnjə / , Spanish pronunciation : ( la ˈniɲa ) ) is a coupled ocean - atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño -- Southern Oscillation climate pattern . During a period of La Niña , the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3 to 5 ° C. In the United States , an appearance of La Niña persists for at least five months .
La Niña is a coupled ocean - atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño -- Southern Oscillation climate pattern . The name La Niña originates from Spanish , meaning `` the little girl '' , analogous to El Niño meaning `` the little boy '' .
La Niña ( / lɑːˈniːnjə / , Spanish pronunciation : ( la ˈniɲa ) ) is a coupled ocean - atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño -- Southern Oscillation climate pattern . The name La Niña originates from Spanish , meaning `` the little girl '' , analogous to El Niño meaning `` the little boy '' .