La Nina onset expected in November

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The National Weather Service on Thursday predicted the arrival of the weather anomaly La Nina in November, after conditions strengthened in recent months.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Weather Service on Thursday predicted the arrival of the weather anomaly La Nina in November, after conditions strengthened in recent months.

La Nina, the cooling of sea surfaces in the Pacific Ocean, can help foster the development of hurricanes, though the NWS made no mention of hurricanes in its forecast.

"La Nina conditions strengthened during September 2007," forecasters said. "La Nina is expected during November."

The effects of La Nina, which means "little girl" in Spanish, often include relative dryness in the U.S. South and above-average rainfall in the Northwest, along with warmer weather over most of the continental United States, the NWS said.