The La Niña weather phenomenon is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. It is the opposite phase of the El Niño weather phenomenon which is marked by extremely hot and dry climate conditions. In the case of La Nina, affected areas will experience colder and wetter than usual climate. Like El Niño, La Niña has far reaching effects in weather conditions all over the globe. La Niña and El Niño often are spoken of together and termed the El Niño/Southern Oscillations or ENSO. La Niña is sometimes referred to as the cold phase of the ENSO.