TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Next spring will be wetter than usual because of the impact of the El Nino effect, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Friday (Oct. 13).
The phenomenon includes a warming of the water surface in parts of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in changes in wind direction, and higher or lower amounts of precipitation in different areas. El Nino may occur once every two years or less frequently.
According to weather expert Chia Hsin-hsing (賈新興), the latest emergence of El Nino might be confirmed next month. As it is likely to last into the spring of 2024, it could bring more rain than during a normal season, per CNA.
One impact associated with the phenomenon is a warmer winter than usual, Chia said. The year is already expected to be one of the warmest on record on a global scale.
Conditions are right for a new El Nino effect to emerge next month, according to CWA Deputy Director-General Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣). For Taiwan, this would mean more rain in Feb.-April 2024 than during the same period this year, he said.
However, it is too early to tell if and how the phenomenon would affect the amount and scale of tropical storms and typhoons to hit the country next summer, he said.