July saw global records for the hottest days and a large number of regional records, including an incomprehensible heat index of 152 F (67 C) in Iran. June 2023 was the hottest in modern record. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Centerīased on increasing Pacific sea surface temperatures in mid-2023, climate modeling now suggests a 90% chance that Earth is headed toward its first strong El Niño since 2016.Ĭombined with the steady human-induced warming, Earth may soon again be breaking its annual temperature records. The world just came out of three straight years of La Niña, meaning we’re experiencing an even greater temperature swing.Ĭomparing global temperatures (top chart) with El Niño and La Niña events. A weak El Niño also occurred in 2019-2020, contributing to 2020 becoming the world’s second-warmest year.Įl Niño’s opposite, La Niña, involves cooler-than-usual Pacific currents flowing westward, absorbing heat out of the atmosphere, which cools the globe. Global temperatures increased by about 0.25 F (0.14 C) on average, making 2016 the warmest year on record. This happened in 2016, the time of the last strong El Niño. That warms the atmosphere above, which influences temperatures and weather patterns around the globe.Įssentially, the atmosphere borrows heat out of the Pacific, and global temperatures increase slightly. Michael Wysession How El Niño is involvedĮl Niño is a climate phenomenon that occurs every few years when surface water in the tropical Pacific reverses direction and heats up. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano’s underwater eruption exacerbated global warming. El Niño/La Niña and solar energy cycles fluctuate. An illustration by the author shows the typical relative impact on temperature rise driven by human activities compared with natural forces.
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