More than 50% chance of La Nina in coming months, WMO says

Geneva, Switzerland — There is more than a 50% chance of La Niña developing in the next three months, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday, but if it does it will be relatively weak and short-lived.

The La Niña pattern involves the cooling of ocean surface temperatures and could break a spell of high temperatures that are set to make 2024 the world's warmest since records began.

Forecasts show that there is a 55% likelihood of a transition to La Niña between December 2024 and February 2025, the WMO said in a statement sent to journalists. This was down from a forecast 60% possibility from the WMO in September.

"Even if a La Niña event does emerge, its short-term cooling impact will be insufficient to counterbalance the warming effect of record heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Mark Porter)