NEW DELHI, SEPT 4 (PTI): The prevailing El Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific are most likely to intensify into a very strong event in the coming months and persist through February 2027, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has said.
It said this could have substantial impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and the associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat.
In a statement on Thursday, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said, “El Nino in Spanish means boy child – but it has the potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world.
“We are already seeing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods, and we expect these impacts to increase as El Nino intensifies.”
The WMO projections came just days after the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its forecast for September, said that El Nino conditions could persist till February next year.
El Nino is one of the three phases of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – a climate phenomenon characterised by changes in sea temperatures along the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, accompanied by fluctuations in the atmosphere overhead.
While El Nino is known to have a warming effect on the planet, its opposite phase, called La Nina, usually results in a cooling effect. ENSO also has a neutral phase.
El Nino conditions typically lead to less rainfall in India. That is why it did not come as a surprise when the IMD, on August 31, confirmed that the overall rainfall in India during the month was deficient due to prevailing El Nino conditions.