The U.S. corn and wheat belt are likely to suffer drought next year, as the worst is still to come from weather phenomenon La Nina, William C. Patzert, climatologist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday.

"Drought in the U.S. corn and wheat belt has the strong possibility repeating itself," NASA's Patzert said. "After 22 December, the first day of winter, the main event kicks in. Classic La Nina impacts are during winter through spring."

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La Nina is a periodic climatic phenomenon that brings more rain to the western Pacific, and to a lesser extent, to the eastern Pacific. Climatologists and commodity analysts blamed La Nina for drought that ravaged the U.S. wheat crop and dryness across the U.S. corn belt earlier this year. Last summer was the hottest since the 1950s in the heart of the corn belt, including Iowa and Illinois.

-By Neena Rai, Dow Jones Newswires; 4420-7842-9450; neena.rai@dowjones.com.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 22, 2011 10:33 ET (15:33 GMT)
DJ Worst Is Yet To Come From La Nina Weather Phenomenon - NASA->copyright