Five ways El Niño is affecting the weather around the world - BBC Weather
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El Niño's Impact on Global Weather
El Niño has been strengthening for several months, and its effects are already being felt worldwide. Countries like Indonesia, India, and the United States are experiencing droughts, floods, and heatwaves, consistent with predictions of how extreme weather events will be amplified by El Niño.
The World Meteorological Agency warns that this record-breaking El Niño will persist until at least 2027.
Here are five ways its impact is already being observed:
1. Indonesia's Wildfire Crisis
Indonesia is battling its worst wildfire season since 2015, with at least 895,657 hectares burned—six times the size of Greater London. This is more than twice the area burned last year, leading to school closures, increased hospital admissions, and respiratory issues for millions of people in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
2. Explosive Hurricane Activity in the Eastern Pacific
The eastern Pacific, fueled by El Niño's warmer ocean temperatures and weaker winds, has seen an unusually active hurricane season. So far, there have been 22 named storms and 12 hurricanes, including 10 major hurricanes. This surpasses the typical season's total with two months remaining. Examples include Hurricane Polo, which intensified rapidly due to the warm waters, and the occurrence of three hurricanes in the same basin at the same time on multiple occasions.
3. Quiet Atlantic Hurricane Season
In contrast, the Atlantic Ocean has remained unusually quiet. El Niño increases wind shear in the north Atlantic, disrupting storm formation. Only one hurricane, Isaias, made landfall in Florida and Alabama—the latest forming hurricane on record. Normally, by this point in the season, there would be 10 named storms, five hurricanes, and two major hurricanes.
4. Reduced Monsoon Rain in India
The drier and warmer weather theme extends to India, where reduced monsoon rains threaten agriculture.
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