La Niña to bring colder, wetter winter to Oregon

How it works: La Niña occurs when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean are cooler than average, according to NOAA.

• That cooling nudges the jet stream north and, because it acts like a fast-moving conveyor belt of air, tends to carry storms into the Pacific Northwest and northern U.S. while leaving the South drier, Axios' Christine Clarridge writes.

What they're saying: According to state climatologist Larry O'Neill — and historical observational data — Oregon will likely see "slightly more mountain snow and higher streamflows" in weak La Niña seasons.

• While great for skiers and snowboarders, the wetter winter could be an added bonus for the state, which saw widespread drought-like conditions over the summer and pushing into fall.

The intrigue: While most of the world's oceans are warming, the eastern tropical Pacific is not — a twist that sharpens the temperature contrast central to La Niña, climate scientist Daniel Swain tells Axios.

• Models once predicted the east would warm faster, favoring more El Niños, but La Niñas instead have become more frequent.