Sept. 3 (UPI) — This year’s El Niño is set to intensify, bringing with it the risk of more extreme weather in coming months and well into 2027, the World Meteorological Organization warned Thursday.
The U.N. body said in a news release that the ocean warming climate phenomenon would build into “a very strong event in the coming months, with big impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat.”
El Niño is firmly established with forecasts showing a near 100% liklihood of it continuing through February during which time it will further intensify on the back of “exceptionally warm tropical Pacific Ocean conditions,” with the resulting climate impacts persisting well into 2027, added WMO.
A strong El Niño can significantly alter global rainfall and temperature patterns and fuel extreme weather, warned the WMO scientists who called for an unprecedented action by the U.N. and national meteorological and hydrological agencies to prepare for an exceptional event, including beefing up early-warning systems.
“El Niño is being supersized before our eyes. The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up. Sea surface temperatures are rising, temperatures keep climbing, and the world is in the danger zone of extreme weather. The race now is between rising risks and our commitment to take climate action and protect people. We must win that race,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said an exceptional El Niño demanded exceptional preparation and response, as matter of urgency.
“Never before in the 50-year history of the World Meteorological Organization have we launched such a major mobilization with National Meteorological and Hydrological Services who are on the frontline of delivering the forecasts and services to save lives and livelihoods,” she said.
“WMO is committed to working closely with partners across the United Nations and humanitarian system to provide the climate intelligence and insights needed to support disaster management and climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, health, energy and water resources. We have no time to lose,” said Saulo.
She said El Niño’s literal translation failed to communicate its potential to ravage communities and economies and that the world was already experiencing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods, saying WMO expected those impacts to increase as El Niño intensified.
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