MAN-MADE GLOBAL HEATING
“The end of El Nino does not mean a pause in long-term climate change, as our planet will continue to warm due to heat-trapping greenhouse gases,” WMO deputy secretary general Ko Barrett stressed.
“Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures will continue to play an important role during next months.”
Much of the planet’s excess heat from climate change is stored in the oceans.
In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already factored the expected La Nina into its forecasts for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
The NOAA said it expected four to seven major hurricanes in the Atlantic between June and November.
“The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear,” the NOAA said on May 23.
The WMO noted that the past nine years had been the warmest on record, even with the cooling influence of a La Nina event that lasted from 2020 to early 2023.
The latest El Nino, which peaked in December, was one of the five strongest on record.
“Our weather will continue to be more extreme because of the extra heat and moisture in our atmosphere,” Barrett said.
The WMO has made it a priority to ensure that all regions of the world are covered by early warning systems by 2027, particularly the least well-equipped, such as Africa.
“Seasonal forecasts for El Nino and La Nina, and the anticipated impacts on the climate patterns globally, are an important tool to inform early warnings and early action,” Barrett said.
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