WMO says El Nino increases risk of extreme weather
Geneva, June 2
Fueled by unusually warm ocean waters in the tropical Pacific, El Nino conditions are developing and are set to influence global temperature and rainfall patterns, increasing the risk of extreme weather over the coming months, the World Meteorological Organisation said on Tuesday.
"We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Nino event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said at a press conference in Geneva.
The most recent El Nino, in 2023-2024, was one of the five strongest on record, and it played a role in the record global temperatures in 2024, Saulo noted as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The WMO community will be carefully monitoring conditions in the coming months to inform governments, humanitarian agencies and climate-sensitive sectors, Saulo said, adding that advance seasonal forecasts and early warnings are vital to save lives and cushion the impact of El Nino.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video statement at the conference, said that El Nino conditions "will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world".
"The only effective response is climate action equal to the crisis -- ending the addiction to fossil fuels, accelerating the shift to renewables, protecting the most vulnerable, and delivering early warning systems for all," Guterres added.
Last week, WMO said Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, with Arctic temperature anomalies expected to continue to be higher than the global mean.
The conclusion was drawn from the WMO report 'Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update 2026-2035', produced by Britain's Met Office and the WMO Lead Centre for Annual to Decadal Climate Prediction, which synthesised predictions contributed by 13 institutes.
The update report also takes a look at the observed climate over the past five years and gives regional predictions for temperatures and precipitation over the next five years.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The thing about El Nino is that it's a double-edged sword for India. On one side, it can weaken the monsoon and cause drought in some regions. On the other, it can bring floods to others. We need to stop neglecting our water management infrastructure. Every year there's some crisis, and we're always caught off guard. 😓
Good to see WMO and UN Secretary General highlighting this. But I’m skeptical about the "end addiction to fossil fuels" line. India needs energy for development, and renewables alone can’t meet our demands yet. Why isn’t there more talk about adaptation measures for countries like us? Early warnings are fine, but what about affordable cooling solutions for heatwaves? 🤔
As someone working in agriculture in Tamil Nadu, I can tell you, El Nino is scary for us. Last time, the rains just didn't come on time, and we lost a lot of crops. This time, they say it might be even stronger. Farmers need practical help - better seeds, insurance, and timely forecasts in local languages. Not just warnings. 🙏
It’s frustrating reading these reports every few years. We know the problem, we know the solutions, yet emissions keep rising. Guterres is right to call it an addiction. But I also wonder - how much of this is just political theater? Real change needs binding commitments, not just press conferences. Let’s see if this time is different. 🤷♂️
I remember the 2023-2024 El Nino - it was brutal. But let’
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