By LiCAS.news
SCIENTISTS warn that a potential El Niño later this year could bring drought and extreme weather to parts of Southeast Asia as global temperatures continue to rise.
The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates there is a 50- to 60-percent chance of El Niño developing during the July–September period and beyond, raising concerns about shifting rainfall patterns and intensifying heat worldwide.
The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the recent La Niña episode is expected to fade, potentially giving way to neutral conditions and then to El Niño before the end of the year.
“The WMO community will be carefully monitoring conditions in the coming months to inform decision-making,” said Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the UN weather and climate agency.
El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural climate cycle across the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects winds, rainfall, and ocean temperatures around the world.
When El Niño develops, weakened trade winds allow warmer waters to spread across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The heat released into the atmosphere can temporarily raise global temperatures and alter weather patterns across continents.
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