El Nino could return this year and make Earth even hotter
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The weather phenomenon known as El Nino could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights, researchers say.
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World El Nino could return this year and make Earth even hotter. What you need to know. March 2, 2026 / 7:44 AM EST / AFP Add CBS News on Google The weather phenomenon known as El Nino could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. There's a 50- to 60-percent chance of El Nino developing during the July-September period and beyond, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . The World Meteorological Organization will issue an update on El Nino on Tuesday. Here's what you need to know about El Nino and its cooler sister, La Nina: How was El Nino named? El Nino and La Nina are two phases of a natural climate pattern across the tropical Pacific known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation . Peruvian and Ecuadoran fishermen coined the term El Nino ("the boy" or "the Christ Child") in the 19th century for the arrival of an unusually warm ocean current off the coast that reduced their catch just before Christmas. Scientists chose the name La Nina as the opposite of El Nino. Between the two events, there is a "neutral" phase. How does El Nino produce its warming effect? El Nino can weaken consistent trade winds that blow east-to-west across the tropical Pacific, influencing weather by affecting the movement of warm water across the vast ocean. This weakening warms the usually cooler central and eastern sides of the ocean, altering rainfall over the equatorial Pacific and wind patterns around the world. The extra heat at the surface of the Pacific releases energy into the atmosphere that can temporarily drive up global temperatures, which is why El Nino years are often among the warmest on record. El Nino occurs every two to seven years. It typically results in drier conditions across southeast Asia, Australia, southern Africa, and northern Brazil, and wetter conditions in the Horn of Africa, the southern United States, Peru and Ecuador. New records ahead? The last El Nino occurred in 2023-2024 and contributed...
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