New Delhi: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday that the 2023-24 El Nino, one of the five strongest on record, is weakening but will continue to influence global climate in the coming months.
This means “above normal” temperatures are expected across most land areas between March and May, the WMO said, reported The Times of India.
In India, the impact of El Nino, a climate pattern associated with warming in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, was evident in the last monsoon season, resulting in ‘below normal’ rainfall.
Although the gradual weakening and the predicted shift to a neutral phase later in 2024 may offer hope for a more favorable monsoon this year, definitive conclusions about seasonal rainfall remain premature, contingent on other climatic factors.
Since June 2023, each successive month has established a fresh monthly temperature record, making 2023 the warmest year on record. While El Nino has played a role in these unprecedented temperatures, it is indisputably heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHG) that are primarily responsible, as highlighted by WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
