Back in the late summer and fall we were talking about the expected development of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii. During La Niña winters, trade winds are often enhanced and there is increased thunderstorm activity in the western Tropical Pacific.
These thunderstorms can, in turn, affect the jet stream as it comes off of Asia, which is how small changes in tropical ocean temperatures can influence our weather here in Alaska.
Now, it turns out it actually took until January for La Niña conditions to become fully established months later than expected, and already there are indications that this is weakening and will likely fade away this spring.
This means that while La Niña could still play a role in our weather for a couple more months, it's unlikely that the tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures will even indirectly influence Alaska weather much beyond April.
