TNIE online desk
La Niña is a climate phenomenon where sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become cooler than normal. It typically leads to heavier rainfall and increased flood risk in regions like the Indian subcontinent.
Scientists say La Niña strengthens western disturbances and westerly winds over North India, allowing cold air from Siberia and Central Asia to move further south. This increases snowfall in the Himalayas and brings harsher cold waves, affecting millions.
In mid-October this year, the first western disturbance of the season brought heavy snowfall to the higher reaches of the Himalayas, covering Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Cold winds sweeping across the plains pushed temperatures to record lows, with maximums of 26–30°C and minimums of 18–19°C for over 10 days, well below the October averages of 31–33°C and 19–22°C.
La Niña is also linked to a wetter-than-normal northeast monsoon, bringing heavier rains to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and coastal Andhra Pradesh, while central India tends to see drier conditions.