Get ready for MEGA NIÑO: Figures confirm phenomenon is now the biggest ever seen
Previous strong El Niños occurred in 1972-73, 1982-83 and 1997-98
Water temperatures in Central Pacific reached 3.1°C above average
That is significantly higher than 2.8°C recorded during the 1997-1998
By ELLIE ZOLFAGHARIFARD
DAILYMAIL.COM
4 December 2015
Earlier this year, the United Nations warned that El Niño could be the ‘worst ever’.
Now, new data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has confirmed that a ‘Mega Niño’ is on the way.
The figures show that water in the Central Pacific Ocean reached 3.1°C above its average on November 18.
That is significantly higher than the 2.8°C recorded during the 1997-1998 El Niño, according to an article in the New Scientist.
The change confirms that this year’s weather system is officially the worst El Niño on record.
‘The El Niño community is closely watching the evolution [of this El Niño] and whether the current event will surpass the 1997-8 event,’ Axel Timmerman at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu told the New Scientist.
‘Monthly and weekly central Pacific temperature anomalies clearly show that this current event has surpassed it.’
The El Niño has moved into ‘an area where most likely the atmosphere will respond even more,’ Timmerman added.
The World Meteorological Organisation said El Niño, which occurs every two to seven years, had resurfaced a few months ago.
It has since become ‘mature and strong’ and is expected to become even more powerful by the end of the year.
El Niño is triggered by a warming in sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
It can cause unusually heavy rains in some parts of the world and drought elsewhere.
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