World preparing for big El Nino weather event
As monster El Niño looms, the world rushes to get ready, New Scientist By Michael Slezak, 7 October 2015 The world is preparing for a massive El Niño that could be the strongest since 1998. That event led to the deaths of an estimated 20,000 people and caused almost $100 billion of damage. The economic and human cost of this year’s event is already starting to mount.
El Niño emerges when winds blowing west across the Pacific weaken, and warm water spreads out east towards South America, dragging rainfall with it. As a result, chunks of Asia and Australia dry out, and rain is dumped on much of the Americas. The effects are felt further afield too, especially in Africa. El Niños are irregular, developing at intervals of two to seven years and lasting between nine months and two years……..
California, which is currently burning with the worst wildfire season in the state’s history, is expected to see more rain as El Niño develops, but it could go too far and cause floods, as it did in 1998.
The El Niño will intensify in the coming months and probably peak around February. The rains are yet to hit Africa and South America; marine impacts such as coral bleaching are expected to begin around December. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28296-as-monster-el-nino-looms-countries-around-the-world-rush-to-get-ready/
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