Whether It’s ‘Super’ or ‘Godzilla,’ El Niño Is Already Breaking Records
NOAA forecasters say the event could top the 2015-16 record and push global temperatures higher as it disrupts rainfall and storm patterns.
- As of Monday, sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean's Niño 3.4 region reached 3.11 degrees above normal, confirming this year's El Niño as the strongest on record.
- During an El Niño year, trade winds slow or reverse, causing warm water that typically flows toward East Asia to slosh back toward the Americas instead.
- NOAA forecasters categorize this year's El Niño as 'very strong,' with a 90 percent chance it remains at that intensity through year-end. The event is already being called 'Super El Niño.'
- The United Nations World Food Programme estimates El Niño could push at least 49 million people into acute food insecurity by the end of 2027, while one study projects 451,000 heat-related deaths.
- NOAA forecasters expect the phenomenon to last through early 2027, with El Niño years typically becoming the hottest on record and 2027 likely seeing even more record-breaking temperatures.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The El Niño climate pattern affecting the tropical Pacific Ocean has driven ocean surface temperatures to record levels this fall. Experts say a "super" El Niño, even more severe than the largest seen since 1950, is on the way.
The more time available to prepare for a disaster, the greater the chance of emerging with minimal damage. Tornadoes can form in minutes, leaving no time to take shelter, while tropical cyclones offer a few days' warning, allowing for evacuation to higher ground. The giant El Niño phenomenon, nicknamed "Godzilla," which forms in the eastern Pacific, is a rare disaster that threatens widespread destruction, but it is predictable enough to give us…
Are we moving towards the most intense El Niño phenomenon ever recorded?
Extremely strong warming has been recorded in recent weeks in the central tropical Pacific, with the Niño 3.4 index reaching early October...
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