Connecticut Welcomes a La Niña Winter: A Look at the State’s Historical Snowstorms

I can't count the number of times I've tried to figure out how La Niña and El Niño affect Connecticut's weather patterns and why do we need two Spanish words to describe America's weather patterns. Believe me when I say no disrespect to any Spaniard reading this article.

I began my research by sourcing the website Greenwichtime.com and the article titled, "La Niña is here, what it could mean for the rest of Connecticut's Winter." Because I'm not the brightest bulb in the bunch, I had to refer to kids.earth.org, a website that explains El lNiño and La Niña to kids. These two weather phenomena, named after Spanish terms meaning “the boy” and “the girl,” respectively, are natural climate patterns that occur in the Pacific Ocean and extensively impact weather systems worldwide.

Getting back on track regarding the arrival of the weather pattern La Niña in Connecticut, I was hoping we might expect one of those good old-fashioned blizzards I experienced in Rochester, New York, as a kid in the 1960s. But to my disappointment, the arrival of the weather pattern La Niña will not make my dream of an extra significant snowstorm in Connecticut come true.

Returning to the kids.earth.org website, I learned that the effects of La Niña are threefold: Rainfall Patterns, Dry Breezes, and Changes in Temperature. I found the information fascinating yet boring. All along, my original intention was to find an avenue to write about a handful of Connecticut's most notorious snowstorms. To learn about La Niña and El Niño and how they affect the country's weather, click on cnn.com or kids.earth.org.