The La Niña weather pattern's return this year could aid in lowering temperatures after months of experiencing global record-breaking heat levels.
This could be seen in the coming as the El Niño weather pattern has been observed to exhibit signs of ending.
Record-Breaking Heat Levels
Since last year, the El Niño weather pattern has significantly fueled extreme weather and global temperature spikes worldwide. However, the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations has revealed that the weather pattern is exhibiting signs of ending.
However, the WMO also warned that global temperatures would keep rising in the long run because of human-induced climate change. This is worsening extreme weather and upending seasonal rainfall. It also affects temperature patterns.
Read also: El Niño Warning: World Should Brace For Higher Global Temperatures, New Record Heat Levels, UN Says
Return of La Niña Weather Pattern
La Niña is the cooling of the ocean's surface temperatures in the massive swathes of the Pacific Ocean. It is coupled with changes in rain, winds, and atmospheric pressure.
In several areas, particularly in the tropics, the weather patterns yield climate impacts that are opposite to El Niño. El Nio heats ocean surface temperatures, resulting in drought in certain areas and triggering strong downpours.
According to the WMO, there was a 60% likelihood of La Niña occurring from July until September and a 70% chance from August to November.
The organization added that the chances of redeveloping El Niño are negligible.
Each month since June 2023, when El Niño returned, has seen record-high temperature records set. The year 2023 also marked the warmest year on global records.
According to the WMO, the Earth will keep heating up generally due to fossil fuel usage, leading to greenhouse gas emissions.
Human-Induced Global Warming
Ko Barrett, the deputy secretary general of the WMO, noted that the end of El Niño does not imply a halt in chronic climate change. The planet will remain warm because of greenhouse gases that trap heat.
The deputy secretary general added that remarkably high sea surface temperatures will continue to be crucial in the months to come.
Much of the planet's excess heat due to climate change gets stored in the ocean.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US has already considered La Niña in its forecasts for this year's Atlantic hurricane season.
According to NOAA, four to seven massive hurricanes are expected to hit the Atlantic from June to November.
The NOAA noted that the coming hurricane season may have unusually above-normal activity because of different factors, such as near-record high ocean temperatures within the Atlantic Ocean, La Niña condition development within the Pacific Ocean, less wind shear, and reduced trade winds in the Atlantic.
The WMO also said that the last nine years have been the warmest years on record, even when La Niña's cooling took place from 2020 to early 2023.
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