WMO declares onset of El Niño conditions
According to a recent assessment released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), El Niño conditions have evolved in the Tropical Pacific Ocean for the first time in seven years, setting the stage for a projected increase in global temperatures as well as disruptive weather and climate patterns.
According to the WMO projections, there is a 90 percent chance that the El Niño event will persist over the second half of 2023. It is predicted to be at least moderately strong.
El Niño episodes typically last between nine and twelve months and occur every two to seven years on average. It is a naturally occurring climate pattern linked to the warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean's central and eastern ocean surface temperatures.
However, it occurs in a climate that has been altered by human activity.
The central-eastern equatorial Pacific's monthly average sea surface temperature anomalies have warmed significantly since February, according to the UN agency, ranging from almost 0.5°C below average (-0.44°C in February) to around 0.5°C above average (+0.47°C in May).
The warm sea surface temperature anomalies grew throughout the week that included June 14 and reached a value of +0.9°C.
According to the WMO, the combined evidence from oceanic and atmospheric measurements strongly supports the existence of El Niño conditions in the Pacific.
