After the current La Niña began in September 2020, experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expect it to happen again in 2023, for the third year in a row — there is a 51% chance. The triple weather phenomenon is rare and has only occurred twice since 1950.
La Niña is a phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which occurs every two to seven years, as Pacific winds strengthen and warm water moves westward, leaving the eastern Pacific Ocean cooler and drier.
Scientists believe that the main cause is climate change, which is making these accidents increasingly common. This, in turn, addresses the consequences at a global level. “The tropical Pacific is huge. If we change the precipitation, it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the world.”says Michelle Laureux, a NOAA scientist.
According to an article in Nature, among the main impacts are the increased risk of droughts and wildfires in the southwestern part of the United States, and floods in Southeast Asia, but also a new pattern of hurricanes and hurricanes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. .
In Australia, for example, above-average rain and record flooding were recorded in New South Wales and Queensland between February and March of this year.
