(AFP) – El Nino warms surface temperatures in central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns_x000D_
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The current El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to break records for its overall strength, a top expert said Tuesday, raising concerns about droughts, floods and other extremes linked to the event._x000D_
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Forecast models are pointing to an “extreme” event, said Tim Stockdale, an El Nino expert at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), an intergovernmental organisation._x000D_
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Stockdale said this year’s El Nino is unlike anything he had seen in more than three decades of tracking the phenomenon._x000D_
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“I think it’s absolutely true to say we’ve never had a forecast of an El Nino that was so strong and so consistent across (forecast) models,” he said in a media briefing._x000D_
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Stockdale said it would be “a very, very big surprise” if the event failed to be a record-breaker._x000D_
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“I would expect it to break records, but no guarantees,” he said._x000D_
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El Nino warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns._x000D_
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It typically takes place every two to seven years and lasts around nine to 12 months._x000D_
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Combined with human-induced climate change, the last El Nino contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the all-time high._x000D_
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The weather phenomenon can lead to droughts in some parts of the world and flooding in others.
