A super El Niño is a stronger event. Meteorologists often call it
a super El Niño when the sea surface temperature anomalies peak at about 2.0° C (3.6 F) above normal. And currently, some models are calling for the coming El Niño to
exceed 2.5° C (4.5 F) above the seasonal average by October.
[...] An El Niño usually brings
higher global temperatures. The excess heat in the Pacific Ocean
eventually enters the atmosphere. This causes
warmer global temperatures. However, the rise in temperatures often has
a lag time of a few months.
Some forecasters have already said that if a strong El Niño emerges,
2027 could become one of the hottest years on record. [...]
This comes on the heels of
the hottest March on record for the contiguous United States. NOAA
said:
The contiguous U.S. average temperature in March was 50.85° F (10.4 C), 9.35° F (5.19 C) above the 20th-century average, marking the first time any month’s average has exceeded 9° F (5 C) above that baseline.
In the summer, El Niño can dampen hurricane formation in the Atlantic. But it’s in winter that we feel El Niño the strongest. Often the jet stream will drop south, steering storms into California and Arizona and bringing much-needed rain. If the jet stream drops, then the
southern and eastern U.S. can expect wetter and cooler weather. Meanwhile, drier weather could prevail in the northern U.S. and Great Lakes region.
Across the globe, El Niño brings
drought conditions to places such as Australia, India and central Africa. And it can bring heavy rains to southern South America and eastern Africa.
An El Niño increases the likelihood of wetter weather in the southern and eastern U.S., with dry conditions near the Great Lakes and warm conditions along the upper tier of the U.S. Image via
NOAA.