"Droughts, floods and heat waves"/ What to expect from the strongest El Nino in more than a century

2026-06-19 22:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"Droughts, floods and heat waves"/ What to expect from the strongest

Meteorologists have warned that a powerful El Nino phenomenon is developing in the Pacific Ocean and could be among the strongest ever recorded.

According to experts, there is a possibility that this will be the strongest El Nino in the last 140 years. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) expects El Nino conditions to appear soon and last at least until winter.

This climate phenomenon can cause droughts, floods, heat waves, and problems with food and water supplies in many regions of the world.

What is El Nino?

El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon that occurs every 2 to 7 years. It begins when the trade winds in the tropical Pacific weaken, allowing warmer waters to accumulate on the ocean surface. Although it occurs in a limited area, its impacts are felt around the globe.

Possible consequences

- Increased risk of drought in parts of Central America, Asia, Africa and Australia.

- Major flooding on the west coast of South America.

- Damage to agriculture, lack of drinking water and reduced hydropower production.

- Increased risk of forest fires in Australia, Canada, the USA and the Amazon rainforest.

- Damage to marine ecosystems and coral bleaching due to higher ocean temperatures.

Impact on storms and hurricanes

Scientists expect the Atlantic hurricane season to be less active than usual as El Niño increases winds that prevent tropical storms from forming. However, hurricanes that do form could still be very dangerous.

In the Pacific, the situation is the opposite: El Nino usually favors the formation of more and more powerful storms.

Link to climate change

Scientists say there is no clear evidence that climate change is making El Nino stronger, but it could amplify its effects.

Higher global temperatures could bring more extreme rainfall, greater flooding and more severe droughts.

One of the advantages of El Nino is that it develops gradually and can be monitored months in advance. This gives governments and communities the opportunity to take preventive measures to protect agriculture, water supplies and infrastructure from natural disasters. /CNA