GENEVA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- El Nino is set to intensify into a very strong event in the coming months, bringing risks of floods, drought and extreme heat, said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Thursday.
Fueled by exceptionally warm ocean conditions across the tropical Pacific, El Nino is likely to peak towards the end of this year, according to the WMO's El Nino/La Nina Update. The likelihood that the event will persist through to February 2027 is "nearly 100 percent," the WMO said.
"El Nino is being supersized before our eyes," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. "Sea surface temperatures are rising, temperatures keep climbing, and the world is in the danger zone of extreme weather."
On the current trajectory, El Nino "may be stronger than anything since our monitoring began, literally off the charts we have used for the past four decades," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo told a press conference in Geneva after the release of the Update.
The WMO called on all countries to closely monitor the evolution of the event and respond appropriately. "We are already seeing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods, and we expect these impacts to increase as El Nino intensifies," said Saulo. "This exceptional El Nino demands exceptional preparation and response."
El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon characterized by the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. It typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts about nine to 12 months. Its effects on global temperatures are often most pronounced in the year following its formation.
The WMO noted that a very strong El Nino event increases the likelihood of major changes in rainfall, temperatures and atmospheric circulation across many parts of the world. However, its impacts can vary according to location and season, and can be modified by other climate drivers, including conditions in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. ■
