El Niño is officially here - and it could bring record hot temperatures, floods, droughts and wildfires and a spike in diseases spread by mosquitoes. The climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean is declared when water temperatures near the equator are at least 0.9 of a degree F (0.5 of a degree C) above the historical average for a three-month period.
The extended period of warmth can shape overall weather conditions around the world into 2024. It could also contribute to extreme weather events.
El Niño occurs every three to seven years and was last observed from late 2018 through to the first half of 2019. It gave the world its hottest year on record in 2016, the Mirror reports.
On Thursday, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Niño was now under way. The past three years were dominated by the cooler La Niña climate pattern.
El Niño appears to have formed early this year, and is likely to be strong, warp weather worldwide and give an already warming Earth an extra kick of heat, meteorologists announced. The NOAA issued an El Niño advisory, announcing the arrival of the climatic condition and warning it may not be like the others.
Head of NOAA's El Niño/La Niña forecast office, climate scientist Michelle L'Heureux, said it formed a month or two earlier than most El Niños do, which "gives it room to grow." She said there is a 56% chance it will be considered strong and a 25% chance it reaches supersized level.
In the past, a strong El Niño has led to record global warmth, like in 2016 and 1998. Scientists earlier this year had been saying next year is more likely to set a record heat, especially because El Ninos usually reach peak power in winter. But this El Niño started even earlier than usual.
University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said: "The onset of El Niño has implications for placing 2023 in the running for warmest year on record when combined with climate-warming background."
An El Niño is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific that shifts weather patterns across the globe, often by moving the airborne paths for storms.
Usually, an El Niño mutes hurricane activity in the Atlantic, giving relief to coastal areas in US states from Texas to New England, Central America and the Caribbean. But forecasters don't see that happening this time, because of record hot Atlantic temperatures that would counteract the El Niño winds that normally decapitate many storms.
