La Niña is nearly done steering winter weather. What now?

Farewell La Niña — hello, El Niño?

Large-scale Pacific Ocean climate patterns are in the process of changing places, with La Niña likely to give way to El Niño over the next few months, according to a Feb. 12 forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center.

"La Niña continued in January 2026, with below-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) observed in the east-central equatorial Pacific Ocean," the CPC said in a Feb. 12 online report.

After La Niña fades, a brief stretch of so-called "ENSO-neutral" conditions are likely, when neither La Niña nor El Niño is present. Then, a full-fledged El Niño appears likely by fall.

"For the late summer and beyond, there is a 50-60% chance of El Niño forming," the Climate Prediction Center said.