Get ready for a heat wave. An El Niño has formed in the Pacific Ocean and is expected to grow to a historic strength.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on Thursday that the natural warming cycle should make temperatures rise more and will fuel extreme weather patterns, The Associated Press reported.
They said it will rival, or exceed, the record El Niño in 1997, which spawned heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes, and wildfires, according to the AP.
Other super El Niños occurred in 2015-16, 1997-98, and 1982-83, CNN said.
To be considered super, Pacific water temperatures must be more than 2 degrees above average. Some computer models indicate the number will be much higher.
NOAA said there is a 63% chance that it “would rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950,” the AP said.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called it an “urgent climate warning.”
“El Niño conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” he said.
The AP noted that during El Niño events, the Atlantic hurricane season may see fewer storms, while the Pacific hurricane season may see more, according to Clark University climate scientist Abby Frazier.
The impact may not end in 2026. Stanford climate economist Marshall Burke said it may continue into 2027, with scientists predicting it will be the hottest year on record, the AP reported.
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