El Nino and its counterpart, La Nina, are climate patterns that originate in the Pacific Ocean every two to seven years on average, and can affect weather worldwide. The past three years have been dominated by the cooler La Nina pattern, but the start of El Nino is set to bring warmer temperatures and extreme weather conditions around the globe.
The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing in 2016, the world experienced its hottest year on record.
NOAA said there is a 56 percent chance that when this El Nino peaks in strength – normally during the Northern Hemisphere winter – it will be a strong event, meaning that Eastern-Pacific sea surface temperatures will be at least 1.5C higher than normal.
“It’s too early to say how the current El Nino storyline will unfold, but if it…
