A powerful El Niño is giving global temperatures an extra boost, and one meteorologist predicts it will be unlike anything previously recorded.
Here's what to know
22News Meteorologist Chris Bouzakis says the current strength of the El Niño climate pattern stands apart from anything forecasters have seen before.
The United Nations says the pattern has moved into rare territory. WWLP reported that the Niño 3.4 index in the central tropical Pacific averaged 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above normal and was still climbing.
"This El Niño that we're dealing with is likely going to be the strongest on record we've seen since we started keeping records. We've never seen an El Niño this strong, so we're kind of in uncharted territory," Bouzakis said.
Researchers have not shown that climate change directly makes El Niño stronger, though warmer air and oceans can increase some of its effects. El Niño also tends to be associated with warmer winter conditions.
More background
Because you use your home heating more in some seasons than in others, you pay more for oil, gas, or electricity during those colder months.
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A strong El Niño can also alter precipitation patterns and storm tracks. In some cases, that can mean milder stretches. In others, it can still bring periods of disruptive weather that affect travel, power reliability, and local planning.
Forecasters can describe the broader climate pattern without treating it as a guarantee of one consistent outcome.
What can be done?
Grid operators and local officials often have to plan for both temperature extremes and storm-related disruptions, especially when an unusual climate pattern raises the chances of surprises.
"When it comes down the road to winter, that has yet to be seen, typically in an El Niño winter it tends to be a little warmer around here but like I said we have nothing to compare this one to and there's a lot of other factors that go into the ultimate outcome of what happens in the future later this fall and into the winter," Bouzakis explained.
Where can I learn more?
The Pacific pattern will affect weather trends across North America. The articles here add context on how El Niño can shift storm tracks, push temperatures around, and raise the risk of more extreme weather when ocean waters stay unusually warm.
• Across North America, a winter weather shake-up is taking shape as Pacific waters stay unusually warm.
• Scientists say warming fuels extremes when an El Niño this intense builds across the Pacific.
• In the tropical Pacific, El Niño changes global weather by reshaping winds, rain, and temperatures.
These help explain why forecasters are keeping such a close eye on winter weather. They also show how an ocean pattern in the Pacific can ripple into energy use, travel, and storm planning across the country.
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