El Niño, nature's chaotic climate agent, has officially formed in a warmed-up Pacific Ocean. US scientists and meteorologists announced on Thursday that the event is expected to grow to historic strength.
Experts warn that the natural warming cycle will further heat a globe already warming from the burning of fossil fuels. This phenomenon is expected to turbocharge extreme weather and lead to higher temperatures across the planet.
Meteorologists forecast that the current event may rival or exceed the record El Niño that began in 1997. That previous occurrence helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from wildfires, tornadoes, droughts, floods, and heatwaves.