By Zoila Palma: New sea-surface temperature maps show an extensive area of unusually warm water across the equatorial Pacific, with another band of warming stretching south from Peru and Ecuador toward Chile.
The development has been described as a “second arm” of the ongoing Super El Niño, although meteorologists clarify that it is not a separate El Niño event, Yahoo reports.
In an October 16 bulletin, Peru’s multisector El Niño commission (ENFEN) reported that Pacific sea-surface temperatures continue to show positive anomalies with an upward trend. Meteorologists noted that the warming extends toward the southeast, with localized ocean temperatures exceeding historical averages by more than 3 degrees Celsius.
ENFEN expects coastal warming off Peru to remain at “extraordinary” intensity through January 2027, while very strong El Niño conditions in the central Pacific are expected to continue into February.
Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather has suggested that the event could become the strongest in 1,000 years if current models accurately predict its peak, although this remains a forecast rather than a confirmed record.
El Niño can disrupt trade winds and shift storm patterns, increasing the risk of flooding, landslides, coastal erosion and extreme weather in some regions.
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