For two winters in a row, La Niña has steered desperately needed rain and snow storms away from the U.S. Southwest, exacerbating a decades-long drought that has shriveled reservoirs and spurred horrific wildfires.
Now, hopes that the climate pattern would relent and allow moisture to rebound next winter have suffered a serious blow.
La Niña — Spanish for "the girl" — persisted through April, and there's a 61 percent chance she'll stick around for a third winter, according to the latest monthly update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
