A rapidly strengthening El Nino is expected to shape global weather patterns in the coming months, bringing more extreme weather events worldwide, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned.
In its latest update issued on Friday, the United Nations weather agency said the recurring climate phenomenon is likely to increase the risk of heatwaves, droughts and flooding across the globe, reports Al Jazeera.
The warning comes as devastating wildfires continue to rage across parts of Africa and Europe, while the monsoon season has triggered widespread disruption in South Asia.
“El Nino is not just on our doorstep, it is inside the house and turning up the heat,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
“This is only a warm-up act. El Nino is strengthening, adding fuel to a planet already on fire.”
According to the WMO, sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific are forecast to rise by more than 2.9 degrees Celsius (5.22 degrees Fahrenheit) above average.
The unusual warming is expected to disrupt global weather systems and push temperatures even higher.
Guterres urged governments to accelerate climate action as the effects of El Nino combine with human-driven climate change.
He also identified the continued expansion of fossil fuels as a key factor worsening the climate crisis and called for an immediate end to new coal, oil and gas developments.
The WMO forecasts above-average temperatures across almost all land regions, with the strongest heat expected in Africa, southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, East Asia and South America.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said that although scientists closely monitor El Nino, governments and humanitarian organisations must turn early warnings into practical measures to protect vulnerable communities.
“Forecasts in themselves do not prevent hazards; people do,” Saulo said. “The decisions we make today will shape the impacts we experience tomorrow.”
Scientists have warned that this year’s El Nino could become one of the strongest on record when it reaches its peak later this year, although they noted that computer model projections still carry uncertainty.
