WMO Says El Niño is Strengthening, Set to Become the Biggest One in 15 Years

The United Nations weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), announced in its latest update that El Niño is expected to be the biggest one yet in over 15 years.

The agency stated that El Niño, which is a weather pattern that can cause extreme droughts, storms and floods caused by warm surface water located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, has already grown "strong and mature" and is expected to continue to strengthen by the end of the year.

"Right now we say we think it's really going to be one of the three strongest ones, it may be one of the two, that we don't know yet. But definitely it's already a very strong one," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.

According to the experts, this year's El Niño will be comparable to those experienced in 1972-73, 1982-83 and 1997-98. The phenomenon typically occurs every two to seven years towards the end of a calendar year.

The update reported that for this year, the three month average peak for surface temperature will be at least two degrees Celsius above normal (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Certain areas, such as California, is preparing for an unusual amount of rain starting in January. Other areas in the east coast can expect warmer temperatures.

Even though the phenomenon will be strong, the experts noted that the world is more prepared at dealing with these weather conditions that will impact water, health, agriculture and more via new campaigns. However, due to climate changes, unexpected effects of El Niño could hinder on current plans.

"This event is playing out in uncharted territory. Our planet has altered dramatically because of climate change, the general trend towards a warmer global ocean, the loss of Arctic sea ice and of over a million sq km of summer snow cover in the northern hemisphere," Jarraud explained reported by Reuters. "So this naturally occurring El Niño event and human-induced climate change may interact and modify each other in ways which we have never before experienced. Even before the onset of El Niño, global average surface temperatures had reached new records. El Niño is turning up the heat even further."

Scientists are meeting at the El Niño 2015 Conference this week in New York to discuss the current phenomenon.