Weak and short La Nina fades away; climate shifts to neutral

U.S. weather forecasters said Thursday that La Nina, the cool flip side to the climate phenomenon El Nino, has faded away. The La Nina episode lasted only four months and was among the weakest and shortest on record, coming on the heels of one of the strongest El Ninos, said Mike Halpert of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center.