On June 11 (US time), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officially confirmed that El Nino had formed in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean.
According to experts, this could become a "super El Nino" - a term used to refer to waves of El Nino with particularly strong intensity.
NOAA said that there is a high probability that the current El Nino will be in the group of the strongest events ever recorded since 1950. This phenomenon is forecast to peak at the end of this year or early next year.
El Nino is part of the natural climate cycle called Southern Oscillation El Nino (ENSO). The phenomenon occurs when the sea surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific regions rises above average.
This change could disrupt weather patterns around the world, directly affecting rainfall, temperature, drought, floods and other extreme climate phenomena.
Usually, El Nino appears every 2 to 7 years and lasts for about 9 to 12 months. However, strong El Nino waves often create much more profound impacts than usual.
According to the NOAA, "super El Nino" is usually identified when the sea surface temperature rises by at least 2 degrees Celsius above average. Since 1950, this phenomenon has only appeared a few times.
Scientists warn that super El Nino could cause global temperatures to continue to rise sharply in 2027, similar to the role that El Nino 2023-2024 once contributed to creating global temperature records.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the nearest El Nino is in the group of 5 strongest events in history and contributed significantly to the record heat record recorded globally.
However, the impact of El Nino is not the same in all regions.
In Australia, southern Africa, India and some South American regions, this phenomenon often increases the risk of heatstroke and drought.
Conversely, some places such as the southern United States, the Middle East or South Asia may witness higher than normal rainfall and increased risk of flooding.
Experts emphasize that El Nino does not mean that climate disasters will definitely appear, but this is an important signal that the world needs to prepare for a period of more unstable weather in the coming months.
According to NOAA, although each El Nino has its own characteristics, current models all show that the 2026-2027 climate season is likely to witness one of the strongest El Nino events in modern history.
