The long-awaited La Niña weather pattern has finished after just a few months, scientists just announced.

La Niña is the cold phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, a natural climate pattern of atmospheric and sea temperature changes in the tropical Pacific Ocean, a region that stretches from Mexico to Peru. The latest La Niña was supposed to start last summer and was long overdue by the time it finally arrived in December.

A delayed start meant the La Niña didn't have time to gain strength before winter started. So, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the La Niña was officially underway on Jan. 9, researchers expected it to be shorter than usual. And that's proven to be the case.

NOAA's latest data revealed that the tropical Pacific warmed up again in March, so the La Niña is officially over. We're now in a neutral state in the ENSO cycle, which means there isn't an active El Niño or La Niña.