El Nino conditions are currently active over the equatorial Pacific Ocean and are expected to strengthen during this southwest monsoon season, according to the latest climate bulletin from the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The agencies confirm that both the ocean and atmosphere now show clear El Nino signals. Sea surface temperatures are above normal, and warmer water is also present below the ocean surface.
El Nino is a climate pattern that develops in the equatorial Pacific Ocean when sea surface temperatures become warmer than normal. This warming changes wind patterns and air pressure, which then affects weather across the world.
Ocean conditions in May recorded above-normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, with similar warming appearing in the western Pacific, the Maritime Continent, and parts of both hemispheres of the ocean.
Forecasts from the Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecast System (MMCFS) suggest further strengthening between June and September, with the event likely continuing through the monsoon season.
