20 Oct 99 - A repeat of last year's mild La Nina conditions -- with a stormy winter in the Pacific Northwest and a dry winter in the southwestern United States -- will be the likely outcome of sea- surface heights observed by NASA's TOPEX/Poseidon satellite, scientists say. TOPEX/Poseidon has detected lower than normal sea-surface heights in the eastern North Pacific and unusually high sea- surface heights in the western and mid-latitude Pacific. The height of the sea surface over a given area is an indicator of ocean temperature and other factors that influence climate.