The El Niño climate phenomenon promises to be "the most intense" in more than a century

A conclusion that matches the predictions of most experts. The El Niño climatic phenomenon should be "the most intense" in more than a century, warned an expert from the British meteorological agency, the Met Office, Friday August 21. This temporary natural phenomenon adds to human-caused global warming, and occurs every two to seven years. It results in a hotter and drier climate in some places, and cooler and wetter in others, causing extreme weather events.

"I have never seen such a phenomenon emerge in our forecasts. (...) We are expecting the most intense El Niño episode in more than a century, with a peak exceeding three degrees" of increase in sea surface temperature in a reference area of ​​the Pacific, "which is unprecedented in modern climate records", announced on the BBC Adam Scaife, head of long-term forecasts at the Met Office.

He stressed that the consequences will be "particularly strong around the Tropics", with drastic droughts in South America and the western Pacific. The disruptions will nevertheless be felt as far away as the United Kingdom. “We are already seeing signs of increased rainfall and storms here in the United Kingdom around November,” as well as throughout north-west Europe, the expert warned. The magnitude of El Niño could make 2027 the hottest year on record, according to forecasts from the Met Office and other experts.