Disruptive weather phenomenon La Nina may be easing

(Washington-AP) -- The Pacific Ocean cooling trend called La Nina, which has disrupted weather for months, may finally be easing.<br><br>NASA researchers say La Nina has disappeared in the eastern Pacific

Tuesday, May 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Washington-AP) -- The Pacific Ocean cooling trend called La Nina, which has disrupted weather for months, may finally be easing.

NASA researchers say La Nina has disappeared in the eastern Pacific Ocean and is rapidly easing over the rest of the ocean.

The phenomenon is blamed for last summer's drought and for a higher-than-normal number of tropical storms in the eastern U-S.

But climate experts at the National Weather Service say La Nina "is not quite history yet." They say while ocean temperatures have moderated in the eastern Pacific, they remain cool in the ocean's central portion.

A cold-water La Nina sometimes follows periods when the Pacific's water is unusually warm, creating more storms in that ocean. That's an El Nino, occurring every three to
seven years.