'La Niña' Watch Back On For This Winter

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — She's back.

La Niña is expected to return, bringing with her a drier, warmer winter in the Southern states, but this winter's conditions should be weak and potentially short-lived, according to forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Forecasters had last month discontinued their La Niña watch, but now say the climate phenomenon should develop in late fall or early winter.

"Regardless of the outlook, there is always some chance for extreme winter weather, so prepare now for what comes later this winter," Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, said in a statement.

Conditions that are drier and warmer than normal are most likely to occur across the entire southern U.S. starting December through February, according to the NOAA.

Drought will likely persist through the winter in California and the Southwest, and possibly develop in the southern Plains. But drought conditions are anticipated to improve in Northern California, the NOAA forecast said.