The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officially announced that a Super El Niño event, a natural climate phenomenon that increases global temperatures, has begun in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
The formation of El Niño conditions was confirmed after sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rose rapidly over recent months.
What surprised scientists is that computer models already indicate that El Niño is continuing to strengthen.
The intensity of El Niño is measured by how much sea surface temperatures in a specific region of the Pacific Ocean exceed the long-term average. The phenomenon is considered strong when temperatures are at least 1.5°C above average, and very strong when they exceed the average by 2°C or more.
According to NOAA’s June assessment, there is a 63% probability that a very strong El Niño will occur during the November–January period. The agency noted that such a scenario could rank among the most powerful El Niño events recorded since 1950.