This year, we could see one of the strongest El Niño reports yet, Bloomberg reported based on data from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. In the tropical Pacific Ocean, the maximum surface temperature in January and February may exceed the normal value by 2.4 °C. This is barely lower than the 2.6 degrees measured in 2015-2016 and roughly matches what was recorded in 1997-1998.
The question is what this means for global weather in a year when ocean waters have been record warm around the world, because when the western side of the Pacific Ocean and the rest of the tropics warm as well, the impact of El Nino is not as clear. In such years, the weather becomes more unpredictable, but there may also be fewer storms in the Atlantic.
That is not the case this year. So far this year, 17 storms have formed over the Atlantic OceanIt is above the long-term average and there are no signs that the frenzy will subside, for example, a new tropical system may form in the next two days.
Based on previous data, not much good can be expected in Australia, where drought and wildfires are more common during El Niño, and in the southern part of the United States, where winters are windier and colder at this time, and New York may have seen more snow. .
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