This Year's 'Godzilla' El Niño Could Impact Your Food Shop – Here's How

The weather event isn’t expected to peak until December.

Parents editor at HuffPost UK

A “Godzilla” El Niño weather event is intensifying, with major impacts expected on global rainfall and temperature patterns.

The phenomenon develops every few years, and involves the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean becoming hotter than normal, which then impacts weather patterns.

This year, temperatures are ramping up to never-seen-before extremes.

An El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average. As of 19 September, these temperatures were at a record-breaking 3.05°C above average.

The event isn’t expected to peak until December, so it’s likely we’ll see them rise even more – some forecasts suggest they might reach nearer 4°C.

How would an El Niño weather event impact the weather?

Globally, it is anticipated that the world will see more flooding, drought and extreme levels of heat which will continue into next year.

The climate phenomenon has already been linked to a weakened monsoon season in India, as well as increased wildfires.

In the UK, it’s likely we’ll experience wetter, stormier weather this autumn and possibly cooler, drier weather in the winter.

Separately, forecasters have also said that a cold air pattern called the polar vortex is starting its season stronger than usual, which may contribute to a cold snap.

Prof Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London, previously told HuffPost UK: “El Niño is expected to make the UK’s autumn milder, wetter, and stormier, the UK’s winter........

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