El Niño/La Niña Update (February 2009)

Conditions resembling La Niña developed in December 2008, but they are 

already weakening and are not expected to herald a prolonged basin-wide 

La Niña event. Indeed, most assessments indicate that a transition back to 

neutral conditions is expected to occur over the next couple of months. One 

interpretation is that this has been a brief redevelopment of the La Niña event 

that prevailed through the latter part of 2007 and into the first half of 2008.