El Niño Arrives, Could Become Strongest in a Century

The El Niño climate pattern has officially formed in the Pacific Ocean, and US officials warn it could strengthen to historic levels by fall. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) confirmed the phenomenon on Thursday, noting warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures near the equator. El Niño is a natural climate cycle that supercharges weather systems around the globe, often triggering extreme events like floods, droughts, and storms. Meteorologists predict this event may become the strongest of the century. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called it an “urgent climate warning.”