The phenomenon is responsible for the worsening of the severe drought that is currently affecting several countries in the Horn of Africa, where 18 million people are at risk of starvation.
The La Niña weather phenomenon, which is mainly responsible for eaggravation of the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africamay last until 2023, the UN announced today.
The current episode of La Niña, which has been running since September 2020, “is proving very persistent,” World Meteorological Organization (OMM) spokeswoman Clar Noulis told a news conference in Geneva.
According to the latest OMM forecasts, there is a 70% chance that the current episode will be extended until the end of August, and some medium-term forecasts show “that will continue until 2023”clarified the spokesperson.
If this is confirmed, it will be the third time since 1950 that this phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years but his circle expands with climate changeis observed for three consecutive winters.
The phenomenon of La Niña – the cold equivalent of El Niιοo – causes a part of the surface waters of the Pacific to cool, affecting the rainfall cycle and the climate of some parts of the world.
The current episode of the phenomenon is mainly responsible for the increase in rainfall in Southeast Asia and for the worsening of the severe drought that is currently affecting several countries in the Horn of Africa, where 18 million people are at risk of starvation.
The latest seasonal forecasts “show a specific risk that the rainy season from October to December will not come” in Somalia and parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, Clar Noulis said.
“It’s not just the La Niña phenomenon: it’s the double pain of climate change and La Niña,” she said.
“If these predictions come true, the humanitarian situation will obviously become even more critical,” he said, adding that the UN meteorological service was working in coordination with humanitarian organizations to report on their action on the ground.
Two weeks ago, the UN called for immediate financial assistance to address the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa.
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