Here's What A 'Super El Niño' Really Is As Experts Predict UK Winter Impact

From the very beginning of this year, multiple weather experts have predicted an El Niño.

It looked like a “super El Niño”, even from early signals – the closer we get to the event, the more sure pros become that this will be an unusually strong phenomenon.

But what does that mean, and how could it affect the UK?

What is an El Niño? 

An El Niño happens when the surface of the Pacific Ocean heats up by 0.5°C or more.

During a super El Niño, though, temperatures rise by 1.5-2°C, professor emeritus of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at UCL, Prof Bill McGuire, told HuffPost UK previously.

During both regular and “super” El Niños, extreme weather events like drought and flooding are much more common. 

“Broadly speaking, the bigger the El Niño, the greater its impacts on the world’s weat...