"La Niña, the cooler sibling of El Niño, is here.

The La Niña climate pattern — a natural cycle marked by cooler-than-average ocean water in the central Pacific Ocean — is one of the main drivers of weather in the U.S. and around the world, especially during the late fall, winter and early spring.

Federal government forecasters announced La Niña's formation Thursday. The Climate Prediction Center says this year's La Niña (translated from Spanish as “little girl”)  is on the weak side, but it should still continue through the winter.

This is the second consecutive La Niña winter. Last year's episode was unusually brief, forming in November and gone by February."

Doyle Rice reports for USA TODAY November 9, 2017. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"La Niña Conditions Have Arrived and Are Likely to Remain Through Early 2018, NOAA Says" (Weather Channel) [3]

"La Nina Moves In For The Winter" (NOAA release) [4]

"Japan sees 60 percent chance of La Niña pattern emerging by end of winter" (Reuters) [5]

"La Niña Is Officially Here To Shape U.S. Winter Weather, Along With Global Climate" (Mashable) [6]