The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted this Monday that the phenomenon of El Niño, which can cause extreme events such as forest fires and tropical cyclones, will return to conditions this year coldest of La Niña.
El Niño is a natural warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, while La Niña is characterized by cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific region and is related to floods and droughts.
“The end of El Niño does not mean a pause in long-term climate change, as our planet will continue to warm due to heat-trapping greenhouse gases”, explained Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary General of the WMO. He further added that, “Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures will continue to play an important role over the coming months.”
The past nine years were the warmest on record despite the cooling effect of La Niña that extended from 2020 to early 2023, according to the WMO.
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