Since the beginning of this year, extreme weather has occurred frequently in the mainland, and ice and snow have been attacked before and after the Spring Festival, especially after the Spring Festival, and the freezing rain has made many people experience the hardships of returning. After entering the summer, South China and Jiangnan were hit by heavy rain one after another, while in the north at this time, the sun was shining and the high temperature continued. This abnormal weather is caused by the weather conditions with El Niño as the background.
Recently, the Pacific Ocean has been bustling with activity! Although many embryos came out of the typhoon, they were stillborn throughout the whole of June. The reason for this is that the strong subtropical high pressure makes the typhoon have no room for development, and in the context of the influence of El Niño, the water temperature in the Pacific Ocean is like our water heater suddenly broken, and the water temperature is also one of the reasons, which is unpredictable.
No, El Niño has been in the tropical Pacific Ocean for a whole year since it began to strengthen last summer, and has had a significant impact on weather changes last winter and this spring. And now, it's time for El Niño to leave the scene, so don't be sad, because La Niña has made a strong appearance and is ready to give you a new climate experience!
Speaking of this El Niño, it is really love-hate at the same time. Since last summer, it has been pouring hot water into the earth, causing global temperatures to rise and whistle. Australia's coral reefs are scorched, and the Amazon rainforests are breathlessly hot. We in China have not escaped this catastrophe, the southern part of the Yangtze River in South China has been raining heavily, the north is as hot as a furnace, and the northeast is cold and wet, it is like playing the "weather wheel"!
However, just when everyone thought that El Niño was going to continue to be so arrogant, the U.S. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suddenly released a bombshell news: in May 2024, the El Niño phenomenon will officially come to an end!
So everyone is speculating: who will take over the climate stage next?
Don't worry, the answer will soon be revealed! It's La Niña! La Niña is not as ostentatious as El Niño, it is quietly gathering strength in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Now, she's ready to give everyone a "cool summer"!
As soon as La Niña arrived, a new extreme was recurred: sea surface temperatures dropped rapidly in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Just like we replaced the hot water with ice water, the whole Pacific Ocean is much cooler. And it also makes it rain heavily in Indonesia and other maritime continental regions. However, you should be careful in the east-central Pacific and western South America, as these areas can get very dry.
As soon as La Niña is said to make everyone "cool down in the summer", have you begun to look forward to the arrival of La Niña? La Niña isn't a good guy. Although it can bring coolness to everyone, it can also bring some trouble. For example, in Asia, the monsoon season is likely to be more active, with more rainfall and more typhoon activity. In the past June, the frequent rainfall in the south was inseparable from the strengthening of the monsoon, and the history of no typhoons in June is likely to be changed in July.
According to forecasts, the probability of La Niña arriving in July and September 2024 is as high as 65%. The arrival of La Niña usually leads to an increase in precipitation in Indonesia and surrounding areas, resulting in a high probability of cold anomalies in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The drop in ocean surface temperature in the eastern Pacific Ocean is a striking feature of La Niña.
Current observational data show that the average water temperature in key areas of the Pacific Ocean is already below the average of previous years. This suggests that as cold water floats, temperatures in the east-central Pacific will be affected and lowered, triggering a chain reaction of climate change. In Asia, La Niña will increase monsoon activity, as was the case with the frequent rainstorms in the south in June, and the increase in rainfall will also coincide with the typhoon season, making typhoon activity more land-oriented.
Then again, what is the relationship between this El Niño and La Niña?
In fact, they are a pair of happy enemies. El Niño likes to make the planet warmer, while La Niña likes to make it cooler. It's like playing a game of "chase me", alternating between the tropical Pacific Ocean. And we humans, like the spectators of this game, can only watch them toss our climate.