WMO sees Pacific warming peaking around December
Its latest seasonal update projects that El Niño will strengthen during the November-to-January period.
The World Meteorological Organization's November-to-January outlook projects a further rise in equatorial Pacific temperatures. The average across its forecast models puts the Niño 3.4 region about 3.8 degrees Celsius above its seasonal norm, with warming expected to peak around December.
Niño 3.4 is an area of the central equatorial Pacific that scientists monitor to gauge the strength of El Niño. The update also expects warmth to persist in the tropical Atlantic and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole to weaken.
The seasonal assessment combines multiple model runs and gives a broad view of likely conditions over three months. Local forecasts can give readers a more specific view of how rainfall may change where they live.
