Super El Niño event officially formed in September, China's climate center says

BEIJING - A super El Niño event officially formed last month, after rapid warming of the Pacific Ocean from May to September met the criteria for the extreme climate event, China's National Climate Centre said.

This El Niño is forecast to become the strongest one since systemic monitoring of this climate pattern began, Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted the NCC as saying.

Sea surface temperatures across most of the equatorial Pacific in September were higher than the average of the same period, the climate monitor and forecaster said.

The centre of the warm waters was located in the eastern equatorial Pacific, where surface temperatures exceeded the average by 3 degrees Celsius, according to NCC data.

NCC chief forecaster, Zhao Junhu said surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific at the heart of the phenomenon were predicted to continue rising in the next three months, peaking in late autumn and early winter.

The UN weather body this week predicted those temperatures would be a record 3.7 degrees Celsius (6.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal from October to December.

The El Nino weather phenomenon typically occurs every two to seven years, when weakening trade winds result in warmer waters in the eastern Pacific.

It tends to cause higher global temperatures and disrupt rainfall patterns across large regions, bringing drought to some areas and heavy rain to others.

Liz Lee; editing by Philippa Fletcher/Reuters