La Niña is the cold phase of ENSO: the central and eastern tropical Pacific becomes cooler than normal (Niño 3.4 anomaly of −0.5 °C or less). Its effects are often roughly the opposite of El Niño: drought where El Niño brings rain, and rain where El Niño brings drought. La Niña events often last longer and can repeat for two or three winters in a row, as in 2020–2023.