An “unprecedented” El Niño weather event is forming in the Pacific Ocean, causing ripple effects across the globe.
For the UK, the climate pattern is expected to bring food shortages, prices rises and the chance of an even hotter summer next year.
“It’s accelerating faster than it’s ever done in history and it’s predicted to be, by some considerable margin, much bigger than any one we’ve ever had in history to date,” said Professor Tim Benton,
An El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise to at least 0.5°C above average. These weather events typically occur once every two to seven years and last nine to 12 months.
This incoming El Niño is arriving at a time when Europe is already reeling from the effects of extreme weather.
