What La Nina could mean for Ottawa's winter weather

Environment Canada's senior weather climatologist says Ottawa will see "more of a winter than last year," as it experiences a possible La Nina weather event this year

Environment Canada's senior weather climatologist says Ottawa will see "more of a winter than last year," as it experiences a possible La Nina weather event this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center says there is a 60 per cent chance of a weak La Nina event developing this winter. La Nina is part of a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather across the planet, and La Nina is the cool phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.

Environment Canada says La Nina is the "appearance of cooler than normal weather in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. It occurs due to increases in the strength of normal patterns of trade wind circulation."

David Phillips tells CTV Morning Live that "all of the signs seem to point to a La Nina."

"This is colder water than normal, and it usually produces an opposite effect than the El Niño."

Phillips says it's a "safe bet" that it will be colder this winter than last winter in Ottawa, "but the other thing that has changed is not only the presence of El Nino and La Nina but also climate change. Our winters aren't what they used to be."

"What we have is kind of a tug-of-war this winter," Phillips said, noting climate change is "creating milder winters."