The United Nations weather agency on Friday raised its forecast for ​the rapid emergence of a strong El Nino in the coming months, ‌warning that the phenomenon is likely to drive global temperatures higher.

El Nino is a periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which typically lasts between nine and 12 ​months, that can drive up global temperatures and increase the risk of ​extreme weather, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

“El Nino conditions have emerged ⁠in the Equatorial Pacific, and there is a remarkable agreement between forecast models that ​this will be a strong El Nino,” said Alvaro Silva, a scientist at the ​WMO.

The intensity of El Nino is important because it increases the likelihood of extreme weather and climate events in different parts of the world, Silva said.

In early June the WMO had forecast a moderate ​or possibly a strong El Nino but it said recent forecasts had given it more ​confidence that strong El Nino conditions are developing in the equatorial Pacific. The WMO said it ‌could further ⁠revise up its forecast if information later in the summer points to a very strong El Nino.

More here

Tagged: Weather BACK TO HOMEPAGE