The major climate phenomenon El Niño could bring a wet, stormy winter to the UK and risks disrupting vital global supply chains as experts warn of its “unprecedented” strength.
American scientists have predicted the high likelihood of a “super” El Niño, the most powerful since 1950, with the potential for flooding and drought in some countries.
El Niño is part of a natural cycle and forms when warmer waters spread across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It is associated with widespread changes in the climate system that can last for up to a year.
Shorts
It typically occurs every nine to 12 years for up to a year alternating with La Niña and cooler Pacific temperatures water temperatures, as part of a cycle called the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (Enso).
