Super El Niño: Why is it happening and what does it mean for New Zealand?
The UN Secretary General has warned of extreme weather conditions as a strong El Niño event develops in the Pacific. This climate phenomenon is expected to cause significant temperature shifts, floods, and droughts globally, with specific impacts on New Zealand's seasonal weather patterns.
Why it matters
Understanding El Niño cycles is critical for global disaster preparedness, agricultural planning, and managing the risks associated with accelerating climate change.
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UN Secretary General António Guterres warned today that the world is entering a “danger zone of extreme weather” – just as three hurricanes formed over the Pacific Ocean.
Guterres pointed to the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) forecast of a “very-strong” El Niño layered over the top of already warm oceans, “raising the prospect of months of extreme heat, floods, drought, and disruptive weather around the globe”.
The last time three strong hurricanes traversed the Pacific simultaneously was September 2015 – the most recent strong El Niño event.
In New Zealand, a strong El Niño usually causes a dry spring and summer for eastern and northern areas of both islands, and a wet spring and summer in the western and lower South Island.
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