El Niño is reaching extreme proportions and could cause chaos around the world
Water temperatures in some parts of the Pacific Ocean are already 8 °C above normal. Researchers warn that the extreme conditions caused by El Niño could persist until February.
For the past few months, scientists have been warning that the extreme climate phenomenon known as El Niño is gaining strength in the Pacific Ocean right before our eyes. According to scientists, this weather phenomenon is so vast and powerful that it has been compared to Godzilla.
Now, scientists from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have stated that the climate model indicates that the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean is becoming significantly higher than average. Moreover, the results show that El Niño has already taken firm hold in the ocean and is having a massive impact on precipitation levels as well as temperatures across the globe, causing floods, droughts, and extreme heat.
The model’s projections indicate that, with 100% probability, the world will remain under the influence of El Niño until February 2027. According to the UK Met Office, El Niño is likely to make the fall and early winter colder, wetter, and stormier.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, El Niño is gaining strength in the Pacific Ocean right before scientists’ eyes, and forecasts clearly indicate that the Earth has entered uncharted territory.
Observations show that sea surface temperatures are rising, as are global air temperatures—meaning the planet is literally in the danger zone for extreme weather conditions.
It should be noted that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a natural climate cycle that alternates between hot El Niño years and cool La Niña years approximately every two to seven years. When the planet enters the El Niño phase, the powerful trade winds that typically carry warm water across the Pacific Ocean toward Australia weaken or even change direction. This leads to an increase in average global temperatures and causes significant disruptions to weather patterns around the globe.
Observations show that the El Niño phenomenon has accelerated sharply over the past few months, and the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean in some regions is now more than 2 °C above average. Scientists note that the heat trapped beneath the surface is even more striking: in some underwater areas, temperatures are a staggering 8°C above normal, according to the Daily Mail.
As a reminder, the surface temperature of the world’s oceans has reached a record high of 21.1 °C.
