Weather-roiling El Nino hits record strength, Japan weather agency says
Sea temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean were 4C above normal as of September, the highest in records going back to 1949, the JMA said.
El Nino, the weather phenomenon causing global disruption, has reached record strength, according to Japan's national forecaster. The naturally occurring event warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, leading to widespread changes in winds, pressure, and rainfall patterns. Japan's Meteorological Agency reported that sea surface temperatures in a monitored region of the tropical Pacific Ocean were 4 degrees Celsius above normal in September, the highest level in records dating back to 1949.
This intensity surpasses the previous record set in December 1997, when temperatures were 3.7 degrees Celsius above normal. The record-breaking El Nino has already impacted weather systems worldwide, contributing to the weakest Indian monsoon in over a decade, exacerbating wildfires in Indonesia that have released toxic smoke over neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, and threatening sugar and coffee production in Brazil.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's forecast comes just one day after the World Meteorological Organization issued its latest seasonal prediction, stating that El Nino is expected to be the strongest on record. Both organizations agree that the phenomenon is likely to persist through the Northern Hemisphere winter, with a 100% chance of its continued presence through January-March, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center.
Historical data shows that many record-hot years, including 1998, 2010, 2016, 2023, and 2024, followed or coincided with major El Nino events.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
