One bright spot for Lake Mead is another forecasted La Niña winter. La Niña is a when a pool of warmer than average sea water forms if the equatorial East Pacific Ocean. This pushes the storm track to the north, giving the northern half of the Colorado River Basin generally above average snow pack for the winter. Another good winter snowpack in the north should translate into another rise in Lake Mead water levels. However La Niña generally means a dry winter for Arizona. While Lake Mead water levels depend on northern snowmelt, much of the other water resources for the state of Arizona depend on the winter rain and snow that falls in the Southwest to replenish smaller reservoirs and underground aquifers. With another La Niña forecasted to return this winter, it's likely drought will continue to grip the state. And another bad wildfire season could become reality as temperatures warm in the spring.