World Meteorological Organization: La Nina is about to return

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicts that the cold La Nina weather phenomenon may return between September and November this year.

Rescue workers evacuate residents from flood-affected areas caused by Typhoon Trami in Camarines Sur province, Philippines, on October 24, 2024. - Photo: THX/VNA

On September 2nd, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted that the cold La Nina weather phenomenon could return between September and November this year. However, even if that happens, temperatures are still forecast to be above average.

La Nina is a natural climate phenomenon that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing about changes in wind, pressure, and rainfall.

Weather patterns alternate between La Nina and El Niño – opposing weather phenomena – interspersed with neutral weather conditions.

In its quarterly update, the WMO stated that after a brief period of weakening La Nina conditions, neutral conditions have persisted since March of this year. There is a 55% chance that sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific will fall to La Nina levels between September and November.

During the period from October to December this year, the probability of this phenomenon occurring has slightly increased to about 60%. The likelihood of El Nino developing during the period from September to December is very low.

In many places, especially in the tropics, La Nina causes climate effects opposite to El Nino, warming the ocean surface, leading to droughts in some parts of the world, but causing heavy rainfall in others.

The unusually long La Nina from 2020-2023 marks the third consecutive year of such a phenomenon in the 21st century, and has increased droughts and floods.

However, that phenomenon could not break the streak of the 10 hottest years ever recorded. Temperatures remained at or near record highs even after the El Niño phenomenon weakened last year, with 2024 being the hottest year on record.

WMO stressed that natural climate phenomena such as La Nina and El Nino occur in the context of human-caused climate change that is increasing global temperatures, exacerbating extreme weather and impacting seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns.

The latest WMO update predicts temperatures in the September-November period this year will be above normal in much of the Northern Hemisphere and much of the Southern Hemisphere.

WMO Director-General Celeste Saulo emphasized that the organization's forecasts of El Niño and La Niña and their related impacts are a crucial climate information tool that can save millions of dollars in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, health, and transportation, and save thousands of lives when used to guide preparedness efforts for extreme weather events.

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VNA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/to-chuc-khi-tuong-the-gioi-la-nina-sap-quay-lai-20250903090527834.htm