Strongest El Niño on Record Approaching... A Winter of Heavy Snow and Rain

[Anchor]

This winter is expected to be milder than usual, but with significantly more rain and snow. This is because El Niño, which drives extreme weather phenomena such as record-breaking heatwaves and heavy downpours, is developing at its strongest level since observations began.

Reporter Seo Donggyun explains how this winter's weather will change.

[Reporter]

This is the El Niño and La Niña monitoring zone in the tropical Pacific managed by the Korea Meteorological Administration.

This shows the sea surface temperature anomalies from late October.

Displaying the difference from the 30-year recent average, the El Niño monitoring zone shows a deep red color, indicating temperatures are much higher than normal.

The three-month average water temperature in this region has been observed to be higher than in any other year.

An El Niño is classified as strong when temperatures are 1.5°C (35°F) or more above normal, but the current three-month average is a staggering 2.4°C (36°F) higher than normal.

When El Niño occurs, convection weakens in the western Pacific, and this flow creates an anticyclonic circulation to the east of the Korean Peninsula.

In such cases, southerly winds blow into Korea, bringing in warm air and moisture, which raises temperatures higher than usual and increases the likelihood of more rain or snow.

In fact, during November of 1997 and 2015, when strong El Niños occurred, nationwide precipitation reached 157.6 mm and 127.8 mm, respectively, which was 2.5 to 3 times higher than normal.

As for temperatures, while the average temperature in November 2015 was more than 2°C (36°F) higher than normal, other years did not reach that level.

However, cold waves can still strike at any time due to climate factors other than El Niño.

This strongest El Niño could continue to impact weather into next year.

[Interview / Kim Seung-ki / Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology : It has the effect of accelerating warming more rapidly, and we (expect) that the level of global warming will temporarily exceed 1.5°C (35°F) above pre-industrial levels.]

Experts warn that people must prepare for sharp weather fluctuations not only this winter but also throughout next year.

Video by Park Ji-in | Graphics by Park Tae-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.