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Super El Niño strengthens to 'unprecedented levels' as ocean temperature records fall

Scientists say several key measures are now in record territory weeks before the event's expected peak in December

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time1 min
The current El Niño has strengthened to what some scientists call unprecedented levels, with several key measures of the climate phenomenon now in record territory weeks before its expected peak in December.

In its latest update, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that average weekly sea-surface temperatures in the central Pacific have reached their highest level on record. The announcement follows scientists declaring a new record for daily sea-surface temperatures in the central-eastern Pacific in September, exceeding the previous record set during the very strong El Niño of 2015.

The intensifying event is already having visible consequences. Hurricane Polo, a Category 3 storm, brought flooding to the streets of Puerto San Carlos in Baja California Sur, Mexico, on 29 September, adding to an already busy hurricane season turbo-charged by El Niño.

The event is expected to peak in December, meaning the strongest effects may still be ahead. El Niño typically reshapes weather patterns across large parts of the globe, influencing rainfall, temperature and storm activity in regions from the Americas to the Pacific.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • El Niño shifts weather patterns worldwide, with consequences for rainfall, drought, heat and storm seasons across the Pacific basin and beyond.
  • Record-breaking ocean temperatures suggest the current event could produce more extreme weather than recent predecessors.
  • With the peak expected in December, the most significant impacts may still be weeks away.

Background

El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It is one half of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle, which alternates with its cooler counterpart, La Niña. Strong El Niño events have historically been linked to drought in Australia and parts of Asia, heavier rains and flooding in the Americas, and more active hurricane seasons in some ocean basins. The very strong 2015-16 event, which held the previous daily temperature record, was associated with widespread extreme weather.

Key Perspectives

Scientists: Some describe the current strengthening as unprecedented, pointing to multiple record-breaking measures of the event's intensity. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology: Its monitoring shows central Pacific weekly sea-surface temperatures at their highest on record, providing the official data behind the warnings. Communities in affected regions: Residents of areas such as Baja California Sur in Mexico have already experienced flooding from storms this season, a sign of the disruptive conditions El Niño can deliver.

What to Watch

  • Whether El Niño continues to intensify up to its expected December peak and how it compares with the 2015-16 event.
  • The remainder of the hurricane season and whether further storms develop in Pacific waters.
  • Early signs of drought, fire and flood conditions in the regions El Niño typically affects, including Australia and the Americas.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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