El Nino on Track to be Among Worst Ever, But World Better Prepared for Fallout: UN UN News Centre
go to original November 17, 2015

This year's El Niño weather phenomenon is supposed to be the worst ever. Here's a quick look at what happens. (AJ+)

The current El Niño, a weather pattern of devastating droughts and catastrophic floods that can affect tens of millions of people around the globe, is expected to strengthen further by year's end, on track to be one of the three strongest in 65 years, according to the latest update from the United Nations weather agency.

But the world is better prepared than ever to deal with the phenomenon, caused by the cyclical warming of the Equatorial Pacific Ocean, even though global warming has added a wild card to forecasting the severity of its impact, UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a news conference in Geneva this week.

“It's not entirely clear how El Niño interacts with the changing climate,” he said, warning that it is playing out in uncharted territory due to global warming. “Even before the onset of El Niño, global average surface temperatures had reached new records. El Niño is turning up the heat even further.”

Based on advice from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, the worst affected countries are already planning for the impact on agriculture, fisheries, water and health, and implementing disaster management campaigns to save lives and minimize economic damage and disruption, he added.

“Severe droughts and devastating flooding being experienced throughout the tropics and sub-tropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Niño, which is the strongest for more than 15 years,” he said, noting that peak three-month average surface water temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean will exceed 2 degrees Celsius above normal.

But, he stressed: “We are better prepared for this event than we have ever been in the past.”

Read the rest at UN News Centre

Related: El Niño in Mexico: More Rain, Fewer Fish (Mexico News Daily)

Related: El Nino Temperatures in Pacific Ocean Break 25-Year Record (Sci-Tech Today)

Related: What California Wildlife Tells Us About ‘Godzilla’ El Niño (Al Jazeera)

Related: Why Bernie Sanders Was Right to Link Climate Change to National Security (Think Progress)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!