WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP): The Indiana State Climate Office says parts of Indiana may experience another drought this summer.

The office based at Purdue University in West Lafayette said Monday that some northern Indiana counties already are abnormally dry.

It says a drought will depend on the strength of a developing La Nina weather pattern. It says stronger La Nina conditions in summer typically result in Midwest summers that are hotter or drier, or both. That’s what happened during the drought in the summer of 2012.

Associate State Climatologist Ken Scheeringa says that if La Nina does develop quickly and with at least moderate intensity, drought conditions may develop in Indiana by August.

The climate office says it expects the second half of June to be drier than normal.