JAKARTA - El Nino has formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean and has the potential to strengthen in the second half of 2026. Australia warns that the phenomenon could be one of the strongest in the last seven decades.
According to a Kyodo News report quoted Tuesday, July 14, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said that sea surface temperatures had crossed the El Nino threshold. A number of signs in the atmosphere are also consistent with the formation of the phenomenon.
"The forecast is for a strong to very strong El Nino, based on the area of heating in the central tropical Pacific," the bureau said in a statement, Tuesday.
About half of the weather models show this El Nino could peak at one of the highest levels since 1950.
The impact is expected to be different in each region. America has the potential to receive excessive rain, while Asia faces hot and dry weather.
The situation has disrupted food cultivation in Asia and raised concerns about food supplies in the region with the largest population in the world.
Scientists assess that climate change could strengthen the impact of El Nino this year.
El Nino is a periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon can change rainfall patterns and temperatures in various regions.
In Australia, El Nino is usually associated with reduced rainfall in winter and spring, especially on the east coast. Daytime temperatures in the south are also likely to increase.
This condition is of great concern to the Australian agricultural sector. The country is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, sugar, and beef.
The last El Nino in 2023 to 2024 caused the driest three-month period ever recorded in Australia.
One of the strongest El Ninos in 2015 and 2016 also triggered widespread drought and reduced grain and oilseed production.
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