By Zoila Palma: Scientists are warning that a potentially record-breaking El Niño climate pattern could develop later this year, bringing more extreme weather conditions around the world.
Forecast models monitored by the World Meteorological Organization indicate the event could become one of the strongest on record, although experts caution that spring forecasts are often less certain.
Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said the world could experience weather events “never seen in modern history before.”
El Niño is a natural climate cycle marked by the warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which alters global weather patterns. Its opposite phase, La Niña, features cooler-than-average ocean temperatures.
According to climate experts, warm water beneath the Pacific is already moving eastward and rising to the surface, signaling the early stages of El Niño. The WMO said sea-surface temperatures are increasing rapidly, with strong confidence that El Niño conditions will intensify in the coming months.
Climate scientist Daniel Swain said the unusually large volume of warm subsurface water suggests the event has the potential to become a “super El Niño,” although that outcome is not guaranteed.
Experts warn that stronger El Niño events can intensify heat waves, worsen drought in some regions, and increase the risk of severe flooding in others due to higher moisture levels in the atmosphere. Berardelli also noted that El Niño tends to weaken Atlantic hurricane activity, potentially leading to a drier summer across parts of the Caribbean.
Scientists say the climate pattern could contribute to record global temperatures when combined with long-term warming linked to climate change.
Swain predicted the world may experience record-breaking heat later this year or next year.
The post International News: Potentially record-breaking El Niño could bring extreme Global weather conditions appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Scientists are warning that a potentially record-breaking El Niño climate pattern could develop later this year, bringing more extreme weather conditions around the world. Forecast models monitored by the World Meteorological Organization indicate the event could become one of the strongest on record, although experts caution that spring forecasts are often less
The post International News: Potentially record-breaking El Niño could bring extreme Global weather conditions appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
