'Godzilla' El Nino incoming? How the powerful weather pattern could impact the USA | Hindustan Times

Government scientists could officially declare an El Nino is underway as early as this Thursday, June 11, when forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center are expected to make an announcement. And experts warn this one could be powerful.“The science is clear: El Nino is arriving on our doorstep in the coming months with 90% certainty,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video statement. “The world must treat it as the urgent climate warning it is. El Nino conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” as per USA Today.What is El Nino?El Nino is a natural climate pattern in which surface sea water temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are warmer than average. Its name means “the Little Boy” or “Christ Child” in Spanish and it was originally recognized by fishermen off the coast of South America in the 1600s when unusually warm water appeared in the Pacific Ocean around Christmas.The full cycle is officially known as El Nino, Southern Oscillation or ENSO. It swings between warmer and cooler ocean water along the equator in the tropical Pacific. The cooler phase is known as La Nina.Also Read: McDonald's employee hospitalized with severe burns after alleged attack; family reveals shocking new detailsHow strong could this one get?Ocean temperatures in the El Nino region have soared to a record high for this time of year. Average water temperatures in the region warmed almost a full degree Fahrenheit between May 31 and June 5 and were nearly three degrees warmer than their 30-year normal. Computer models suggest the water could warm by more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the year.“Essentially every model predicts El Nino is coming” Robert Rohde, chief scientist at Berkeley Earth, posted on X. Some models show a moderate event, others a strong or very strong one. A few show a “record-smashing event,” though Rohde said he thinks that is unlikely.Climate scientist Daniel Swain also weighed in on X: “Whew. All signs are increasingly pointing to a significant, if not strong to very strong, El Nino event.”Although they are not official terms, some scientists and media have dubbed a potentially powerful event a “Super” or “Godzilla” El Nino. The word “super” is typically used when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific rise to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average for several months, per USA Today. Only four such events have occurred since 1950, with the most recent taking place between 2015 and 2016, according to the Weather Channel.The World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations' weather agency, said there is an 80% likelihood of an El Nino event starting this summer with probabilities for it to continue until at least November near or above 90%.Also Read: Sarah Kellen: 5 things to know as Epstein's former assistant claims she was ‘violently raped’ by himWhat does it mean for US weather?El Nino raises worldwide air temperatures by releasing heat stored in the Pacific Ocean into the atmosphere, temporarily pushing up the Earth's average temperature on top of long-term climate warming, according to NOAA.The ENSO cycle is the primary factor government scientists consider when making their winter weather forecast, as it mainly influences weather during colder months. During an El Nino winter, the southern third of the US typically sees wetter-than-average conditions, while the northern third faces enhanced chances of below-normal precipitation, according to the Climate Prediction Center.“El Nino winters are typically warmer across the continental US, especially from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes,” Matthew Rosencrans, NOAA's lead hurricane seasonal forecaster, told USA Today. “The warmth can extend farther down the West Coast and into the Southeast, but those signals are much less certain.”Super El Nino event can also lead to more extreme weather shifts, turning normal seasonal changes into high-impact events such as massive flooding, severe droughts, and severe storms, according to Severe Weather Europe.