Geneva, July 31 (QNA) - The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned today that the "El Niño" phenomenon is expected to intensify further during the August-October season, with the climate pattern likely to dominate global weather conditions, increasing the probability of above-average temperatures across many parts of the world and causing significant shifts in rainfall patterns. 
In its latest monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update, the WMO said that, alongside exceptionally high global ocean temperatures, El Niño is expected to have a growing influence on weather patterns in many regions over the coming months, raising the likelihood of heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and other extreme weather events. 
Commenting on the latest outlook, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the strengthening El Niño is "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and is pushing the world into "uncharted territory." He also warned that Pacific waters driving the phenomenon "have never been this warm this early in an El Niño, and temperatures are still increasing." 
Guterres stressed that fossil fuels continue to intensify the climate crisis and called for urgent action to protect vulnerable communities and address its root causes, warning that failure to act would expose people to increasingly severe climate-related risks. 
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It can temporarily raise global temperatures and disrupt normal weather patterns worldwide, increasing the risk of droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, heatwaves and wildfires. Scientists have repeatedly warned that the impacts of El Niño are amplified by long-term human-induced climate change, underscoring the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources. (QNA)