El Nino weakens but will keep temperatures high

El Nino is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon involving disruptions in wind patterns, resulting in warmer ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean .

El Nino occurs on average every 2 to 7 years, typically lasting 9 to 12 months, and can cause extreme weather events such as wildfires, tropical cyclones, and prolonged droughts.

A man walks past dead sheep due to El Nino-related drought in the town of Marodijeex, south of Hargeysa, in northern Somalia's semi-autonomous Somaliland region, April 7, 2016. Photo: REUTERS

WMO spokeswoman Claire Nullis said El Nino peaked in December and is set to become one of the five strongest on record.

“It’s weakening now, but it’s clearly going to continue to impact the global climate in the coming months,” Claire Nullis told reporters in Geneva. “We’re expecting above-normal temperatures in the coming months, from March to May in general, across most of the land mass.”

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said El Nino had contributed to recent temperature records.

“Every month since June 2023 has set a new monthly temperature record, and 2023 is by far the warmest year on record,” Saulo said in a statement. “El Niño contributed to these record temperatures, but it is clear that heat-trapping greenhouse gases are the main culprit.”

The WMO said there was about a 60% chance of El Nino existing from March to May and an 80% chance of neutral conditions, neither El Nino nor La Nina, in April to June.

The WMO said there was a chance La Nina - a weather pattern characterised by unusually cold temperatures in the Pacific Ocean - would develop later this year, but the likelihood remained uncertain.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lien-hop-quoc-el-nino-suy-yeu-nhung-se-giu-nhiet-do-cao-post286909.html