MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Forecasters are warning communities to start preparing now for more severe floods and droughts from this year's El Nino. NPR's Lauren Sommer reports on what's being called a super El Nino.
LAUREN SOMMER, BYLINE: Climate forecasters tend to be a cautious bunch. But when it comes to this El Nino, officials aren't mincing words, like Celeste Saulo of the World Meteorological Organization.
CELESTE SAULO: It may be stronger than anything since our monitoring began.
SOMMER: El Nino a natural climate pattern that happens every few years. The Pacific Ocean along the equator gets abnormally warm. That heat gets released to the atmosphere, where it has ripple effects on weather patterns.
SAULO: We are already seeing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods and extreme weather. We expect these impacts to multiply and cascade as El Nino intensifies.
SOMMER: This El Nino will peak in November and December, but the impacts will stretch into next year. That will raise temperatures globally, which is already on top of climate change. So this year or next year could become the hottest on record. And Saulo says the extreme weather could impact a long list of industries.
SAULO: Agriculture, trade, fisheries, health, energy, transport, water resources.
SOMMER: The World Food Programme projects that about 50 million people could be pushed into food insecurity. In the U.S., El Ninos tend to bring drier conditions to the northern half of the country. That could add to the drought that's already hitting the inner Mountain West. The southern half of the U.S. could get more intense rain and flooding. Some communities are already preparing for that.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MIKE MCGUIRE: We want to welcome you to our town hall.
SOMMER: Last month, California State Senator Mike McGuire held a virtual meeting on El Nino.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MCGUIRE: What we can control is how prepared we are before the weather hits.
SOMMER: Emergency managers like Nate Ortiz of California's Office of Emergency Services say they're already preparing for floods.
NATE ORTIZ: Whether it's supplies, equipment, high-clearance rescue vehicles, we're kind of at the point now where we really lean in.
SOMMER: The impacts of any El Nino can vary quite a bit. But with a forecast this supersized, it's a signal for communities to be ready.
Lauren Sommer, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF LILLY LEGIT'S "TO RECOVER LOST SPACE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
