We are currently approaching the expected peak of the strongest El Niño ever recorded.
El Niño is a natural weather pattern that develops in the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere above it.
When the winds that typically blow from east to west weaken or reverse, warmer water can spread across the central and eastern tropical Pacific, leading to changes in atmospheric conditions.
It is unsurprising that regions bordering this part of the Pacific see the most pronounced weather impacts, including parts of Peru and Ecuador in the east and Australia and Indonesia to the west.
However, El Niño can also affect weather patterns much farther away.
In the UK, it often means a higher chance of wetter and stormier conditions during autumn and early winter, along with a greater likelihood of colder wintry weather developing later in the winter.
In the US and Canada, there can be a greater chance of a warm and dry winter in northern areas, while areas farther south may face a higher risk of flooding rain.
There is also some evidence that El Niño can increase the likelihood of disruption to the stratospheric polar vortex, which could in turn bring snowfall later in winter.
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