Get ready for nasty wet winter B次元官网网址� again B次元官网网址� say the weather experts.

B次元官网网址淟a Ni帽a conditions have returned and are expected to gradually strengthen and continue into the Northern Hemisphere winter 2011-12,B次元官网网址� says a warning issued on Sept. 8 by the U.S. National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

That means, like last winterB次元官网网址檚 La Ni帽a, another strong chance of above-average precipitation across the Pacific Northwest, says the alert.

A second La Ni帽a this soon is unusual, according to NOAA.  It and its warm and dry opposite, El Ni帽o, occur on average every three to five years with La Ni帽as usually half as frequent.

B次元官网网址淲hile it is not yet clear what the ultimate strength of this La Ni帽a will be,B次元官网网址� the warning says  B次元官网网址淟a Ni帽a conditions have returned and are expected to gradually strengthen and continue.B次元官网网址�

The last La Ni帽a developed in mid-2010 and lasted until this spring.

The impressively strong La Ni帽a in 2010-11 was partly responsible for the record U.S. winter snowfall which in turn led to spring flooding, the extreme drought conditions across the United States, as well as extreme weather events around the world, such as heavy rains and monsoons in Asia, the devastating and fatal cyclones in the north east of Australia, and extremely dry period in equatorial eastern Africa.

editor@vicnews.com