La Nina Means Southeast Should Expect No Drought Relief

The La Nina pattern of cooling in the Pacific Ocean does not bode well for the Southeast, which is already experiencing the worst drought in a century.

The El Nino and La Nina patterns in the Pacific have such far-reaching influence because they change the way the jet stream wiggles. In the case of La Nina, its particular jet stream ripple tends to starve the southern United States for moisture -- not a good sign, considering several states have set new records in virtually every category for measuring drought.

The most poignant sign of stress is in Atlanta, where the need for drinking water has prompted the governor to sue the Army Corps of Engineers over its releases of water from Lake Lanier. The lake, and the Chattahoochee River that fills it, has been at the center of the Tri-State Water War for nearly 20 years, as Georgia, Alabama and Florida vie for enough water to quench residents' thirsts (not to mention let them water their lawns) and maintain adequate levels to sustain aquatic wildlife.

That's not the only impact. Agriculture has suffered across a wide region, and wildlife has too, as stream levels have dropped -- in many cases -- to levels never before recorded.

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