As A 'Godzilla' El Niño Brews, Scientists Share What's Concerning Them Most Right Now

They shared an important takeaway in terms of how leaders react to this unfolding crisis.

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

A ‘Godzilla’ El Niño is brewing – and scientists are concerned about how the weather phenomenon is set to impact the UK and wider world.

The phenomenon develops every few years, and involves the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean becoming hotter than normal. But this year temperatures are ramping up to never-seen-before extremes.

An El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average. As of 19 September, these temperatures were at a record-breaking 3.05°C above average.

The event isn’t expected to peak until December, so it’s likely we’ll see them rise even more – some forecasts suggest they might reach nearer 4°C.

For the UK, it’s likely we’ll experience wetter, stormier weather this autumn and possibly cooler, drier weather in the winter as a result of El Niño.

Globally, the outlook is far more sobering.

Scientists share their concerns over El Niño’s potential impact

El Niño, which is a natural part of our climate system, shifts rainfall and temperature patterns across the globe.

Prof Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts and director of the Centre for Climate and Environmental Resilience at Newcastle University, explained that in some places, like western US and south America coastlines, “that means much more extreme rainfall and flooding”.

In others, particularly Asia and Australia, it can mean drought and extreme heat.

”What concerns me most is where these extremes hit places that are already vulnerable,” she said, “particularly where there are existing problems with water and food security.”

Climate scientists have estimated this year’s weather phenomenon could result in over 450,000 deaths due to the extreme heat alone.

Nigeria, Indonesia, Sudan and India are just some of the countries which are predicted to be most impacted by this, according to the Climate Impact Lab report.

Dr Akshay Deoras, a senior research scientist in high-impact weather at the University of Reading,........

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