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El Nino Hits ‘Strongest Intensity’ Since 1949: Japan Weather Agency
The Copernicus Climate Change Service recorded a record 29.70°C in Pacific surface temperatures, signaling an exceptionally strong event that heightens global drought and flood risks.
The UN's World Meteorological Organization said Thursday that the "Super El Niño" weather cycle will continue intensifying until a December peak, shifting rainfall patterns and increasing drought and flood risks globally.
Sea-Surface temperatures in the Pacific reached an "all-time high" last month, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said, while Japan's weather agency declared on Friday this cycle has "the strongest intensity on record."
Fires in Indonesia and the Brazilian Amazon have caused a haze crisis, forcing wildlife rescues. "She had to leave her habitat, and we had to rescue her, primarily because of the flames," said Andi Muhammad Khadafi, head of the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
The United Nations Development Programme warned Sunday that combined impacts of rising costs and El Niño created "a perfect storm that could throw tens if not hundreds of millions of people back into poverty." International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva separately expressed concern regarding global food security.
Humanitarian agencies are preparing for flood risks in Somalia through sandbag distribution and supply prepositioning. Kamillo Muse, a resident of a displacement camp, said they are "terrified" of the upcoming rains, noting that even proper houses face displacement if riverbanks burst.
The forecast anticipates more rainfall in much of the country, while river floods, soil saturation and snowfall already show some of the effects of the projected spring climate scenario