A cyclical weather phenomenon that can drive flooding in one continent and drought in another has returned.
El Niño occurs when the atmosphere reacts to a sustained warming of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures above normal levels. The water has been rapidly heating up in recent months, and on June 10 the Japan Meteorological Agency formally announced that El Niño conditions
This time it could be particularly powerful. There’s a 67% chance it may evolve into a strong or very strong event — what’s informally known as a “Super El Niño” — heading into 2027,