El Niño has officially begun, US scientists have announced, and the weather system could bring unprecedented weather to the UK.
The phenomenon is one in every of the planet’s most vital weather phenomena, affecting temperatures and rainfall all over the world.
But this yr’s El Niño might be different, as climate experts have warned it might be a ‘super El Niño’.
The consequences of the super El Niño might be worse than a daily one. They’re typically more intense, occurring when ocean temperatures exceed 2°C above average.
Scientists have said they’re already concerned concerning the implications of this yr’s El Niño, with Professor Adam Scaife, head of monthly to decadal prediction on the UK Met Office, issuing a harrowing warning.
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‘The present El Niño is… riding on top of a considerable amount of world warming,’ he told the BBC.
‘Because of this the actual temperatures in affected regions could well be unprecedented, because the warming from El Niño is being topped up by climate change.’
An El Niño naturally boosts the Earth’s temperatures in the course of the cycle, however the Earth is already hotter than ever before – meaning the results might be deadly.
Mohamed Adow, director of campaign group Power Shift Africa, told the BBC: ‘An El Niño declaration just isn’t just one other weather forecast – for hundreds of thousands of individuals, it’s a deadly siren to be feared.
‘It means failed rains, dying crops, rising food prices, and families pushed to the sting yet again.’
The UK can have to brace for one more yr of record-breaking temperatures, which is already being driven by climate change.
We now have already marked our country’s hottest May day in recorded history, a record which was smashed on two consecutive days over the late bank holiday.
Storm tracks across the Atlantic could also impact how and where winter storms develop within the UK, following this yr’s earlier storms of Dave, Chandra, Ingrid, and Goretti.
What’s an El Niño?
El Niño refers back to the warming of the ocean surface temperature and occurs every two to seven years, in accordance with the Met Office.
It is said when the temperatures within the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean reach 0.5°C above average.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said temperatures within the central and tropical Pacific Ocean have already passed the 0.5°C threshold.
The consequences of the phenomenon typically peak towards the tip of the yr, often in December.
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