El Niño is here and rapidly strengthening, scientists fear it will be 'big, bad and costly'

Scientists have officially confirmed the onset of El Niño conditions, with strong indications that the phenomenon is rapidly strengthening and has a high probability of developing into a "Super El Niño" event. This informal term is used by forecasters to describe an exceptionally powerful El Niño, typically characterized by sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific rising 2 degrees Celsius or more above average.

This significant warming of ocean waters is expected to trigger widespread disruptions to global weather patterns. A strengthening El Niño event threatens to bring a range of extreme weather conditions worldwide, including heightened risks of severe droughts in some regions and intense flooding in others, alongside unseasonal temperature fluctuations.

Such powerful events can profoundly impact agriculture, water resources, and overall climate systems, contributing to elevated global average temperatures.