Advertisement
Extreme weather
World

Explainer | From China to the US, how El Nino is helping drive heatwaves and extreme weather

  • El Nino is a natural phenomenon that contributes to higher temperatures in many parts of the world, and also drives tropical cyclones and boosts rainfall and flood risks
  • The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing, in 2016, the world saw its hottest year on record.

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The entire planet has experienced unofficial heat records this month due unusually hot conditions due to climate change and a strong El Nino event. Photo: AP
Reuters
Countries around the world from China to the United States are battling heatwaves, with the onset of the climate phenomenon El Nino helping push temperatures higher.
Advertisement

Scientists told Reuters that climate change and El Nino are the major drivers of extreme heat that have seen temperature records broken in Beijing and Rome, while leaving some 80 million Americans under excessive heat warnings.

El Nino is a natural phenomenon that in addition to contributing to higher temperatures in many parts of the world, also drives tropical cyclones in the Pacific and boosts rainfall and flood risk in parts of the Americas, Asia and elsewhere.

02:50

El Nino is here, and it’s quite worrying, according to climate scientists

El Nino is here, and it’s quite worrying, according to climate scientists

In June, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Nino is now under way. The past three years have been dominated by the cooler La Nina pattern.

Scientists have warned that this year looks particularly worrying. The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing, in 2016, the world saw its hottest year on record. Meteorologists expect that this El Nino, coupled with excess warming from climate change, will see the world grapple with record-high temperatures.

Experts are also concerned about what is going on in the ocean. An El Nino means that waters in the Eastern Pacific are warmer than usual. Globally, sea temperatures hit records for the months of May and June, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. That could supercharge extreme weather.

“We’re in unprecedented territory,” said Michelle L’Heureux, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

Advertisement