Butler County sees effects of ‘Triple La Niña’
The U.S. has experienced many La Niña seasons over the years, but only a few times since 1900 has there been a La Niña season three years in a row.
Myranda Fullerton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said this is the third time there has been three La Niña winters in a row, which has caused this winter to be unseasonably warm and dry.
“La Niña is simply a cooling of the equator in the Pacific,” Fullerton said Thursday, Feb. 16. “Usually it does mean milder conditions. We're about normal for rainfall now, a little below average. We're low on snow; since Dec. 1, we’re sitting at about 16.22 inches below average for snowfall.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, temperatures in Pittsburgh reached a high of 71 degrees, breaking the previous high for that date of 69 degrees, set in 1954, according to the National Weather Service. The high for Thursday was 57 degrees, and the low was expected to be 39 degrees.
According to Fullerton, the temperatures will fluctuate slightly this weekend before warming up again next week, because of a passing cold front. She said the high temperature is predicted to be around 39 degrees Friday, which also has potential for rain and some light snow showers.
She said if there is snow it probably won’t accumulate much, and Saturday and Sunday look dry, with high temperature in the low-40s Saturday and in the low-50s Sunday.
“This weekend looks relatively dry and actually warm for this time of year,” Fullerton said. “I would chalk that up to the La Niña pattern.”
Fullerton also said that while the Midwest has received a considerable amount of snow and cold temperatures, that moisture is typically gone by the time the patterns reach Pennsylvania, lowering chances for snow and rain.
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, there were 14 emergency services dispatches for fires in Butler County, with several of them being brush fires, according to a report from the Butler County Department of Emergency Services.
Chris Dean, chief of Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company, said the department fought a brush fire on Hannahstown Road on Wednesday, which was caused by a downed power line on personal property.
He added that the weather conditions that day were conducive for brush fires.
“With it coming out of winter everything is really dry, we haven't had a lot of rain lately,” he said. “The National Weather Service put out a wind advisory and a burn warning for yesterday.”
Fullerton said these conditions will likely continue through March, although weather patterns could change by then.
“Looking ahead at the forecast for March, it does keep us sort of average. We're not expected to be warmer or cooler than average,” Fullerton said. “Based on what we have had so far, if we do have a disturbance, it might be for a shorter duration.”
