WMO warns of rising El Nino risk, urges preparedness

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday warned of an 80% chance that an El Nino event will develop between June and August, raising the risk of extreme weather in the coming months.

Wilfran Moufouma Okia, chief of climate prediction at WMO, told China Media Group that countries should prepare for possible extremes while stressing that information on climate-related disasters should not incite panic.

Speaking at WMO's headquarters in Geneva, Okia said there is currently no evidence that climate change has made El Nino events more frequent or intense. However, he emphasized that climate change can amplify the effects of El Nino, increasing the risk of extreme weather in combination with global warming.

"The classification of El Nino, whether it's strong or moderate, is not what really matters, because El Nino will have consequences whenever it happens, depending on the timing, depending on the vulnerability of the country, so that's the most important," Okia said.

El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon marked by persistently warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, which alters atmospheric circulation and affects weather and climate patterns worldwide.