It is the first time in the 21st century, and only the third time since 1950, that La Niña has lasted for three consecutive Northern Hemisphere winters and three consecutive Southern Hemisphere summers.
The La Niña – the climate phenomenon responsible, among other things, for the worsening drought in the Horn of Africa – is “unusually stubborn” and could last until February or March, the UN warns.
The calculations of the World Meteorological Organization show that “there is a 75% chance that the La Niña phenomenon will remain during the period of December-February 2022/2023 and a 60% chance that it will continue during the period of January-March”, warns the organization in its announcement today .
Heavier and longer-lasting monsoon rains in Southeast Asia are associated with the La Niña phenomenon, particularly in Pakistan which experienced devastating floods in July and August.
It is the first time in the 21st century, and only the third time since 1950, that La Niña has lasted for three consecutive Northern Hemisphere winters and three consecutive Southern Hemisphere summers, according to a new Info-Niño/Niña release that published by the Agency.
The first “triple-dip” #LaNiña (3 straight years) of the 21st century is likely to last until the end of winter (summer in southern hemisphere). It will continue to affect temperature and precipitation and exacerbate drought and flooding.
🔗WMO Update https://t.co/IRv2e6qhbx pic.twitter.com/WGchhSbuXU— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) November 30, 2022
The WMO estimates that there is a 55% chance that the world will experience a period without La Niña – or its opposite, El Niño – during the period February-April 2023. An estimate that rises to 70% for the months from March to May.
The La Niña phenomenon causes some of the surface waters of the Pacific to cool, affecting the rainfall cycle and climate in some regions of the planet.
The tropical Pacific zone has been under the influence of La Niña, with short breaks, since September 2020 “but this has had only limited effects in cooling temperatures worldwide”, points out the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Petri Taalas, who warns non-stop about the effects of climate change.
“The past eight years have been the warmest on record, and sea level rise, as well as ocean warming, has accelerated,” he points out.
According to the World Meteorological Organization’s interim report on the state of the global climate 2022, rainfall cycles in many regions this year bear the stamp of La Niña.
In South American Patagonia and the southwestern part of North America, as well as in East Africa, climatic conditions were characterized by more drought.
In southern Africa, the northern part of South America and the eastern part of Australia the climatic conditions were characterized by more humidity.
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