High Temperatures, El Niño Southern Oscillation Could Aid In Extreme Hurricane Formation

Experts said that high temperatures and the El Niño southern oscillation could contribute in the formation of extreme hurricanes.

They said that since March 2023, average sea surface temperatures around the world have hit record-shattering highs and these are still climbing.

Global Warming, El Niño

This ominous ocean heating is being driven by accelerating global warming as well as the El Niño climate pattern.

Since the 1980s the world has been experiencing an increased rate of warming. The warming rate is not just simply increasing from year to year, however, experts see phases of faster warming alternating with periods when warming is slower.

Meanwhile, the average sea surface temperatures are roughly 68.5 degrees Fahrenheit (20.3 degrees Celsius) across the North Atlantic, which is a full degree higher than the 1981-2011 average.

This includes the Atlantic's hurricane alley or the hurricane-forming belt of water that stretches from the west coast of Africa to Central America.

Marine researcher Brian McNoldy said that the North Atlantic sea surface temperature is now 4.5 standard deviations above the recent 1991-2020 climatological mean.

''That translates to a 1-in-284,000-year event. Yet here we are watching it unfold, one day at a time. This is deeply troubling,'' McNoldy said in a tweet.

The said increase in sea temperatures could lead to more intense Atlantic hurricanes later in the year, when hurricane season is expected to start on June 1 and end on November 30.

Experts said that warm sea surface temperatures contribute to stronger hurricanes by essentially giving systems more fuel to stoke the fire.

Winds evaporate a tiny area of water from an ocean's surface that rises into the clouds and feeds energy to a thunderstorm surrounding the eye of a hurricane by releasing heat.

Further, the relenting effects of a weakening El Niño paves the way for La Niña conditions to introduce cooler-than-normal waters. This will reduce the amount of wind shear blowing over the Atlantic, which could make for an active hurricane season.

Read Also: How Previous El Niños Revealed Crucial Information About Climate Change

Hurricane Alley

The El Niño phenomenon could come into play in the formation of hurricane.

El Niño is a climate cycle where waters off the tropical eastern Pacific grow warmer than usual, affecting global weather patterns.

It is linked with weaker trade winds around the equator, which raises average sea surface temperatures at the equator by at least 2.7 F (1.5 C). The current El Niño developed quickly in July 2023 and is expected to last until June this year.

Hurricane alley spans across the Atlantic Ocean, stretching from the coast of Africa to Central America like a belt.

Experts called it the "birthplace" of hurricanes in the Atlantic, and they have warned that unusually warm waters in the area give storms plenty of fuel to develop.

Hurricane Alley is an area of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from the west coast of northern Africa to the east coast of Central America and the Gulf Coast of the Southern United States.

It has been observed that many hurricanes form within this area.

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