El Niño Archives - Disasters News

May202025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Southern Australia Drying Future: Drought Grips States as Rainfall Plummets

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

As rainfall hits record lows, southern Australia faces a severe and expanding drought. Farmers, ecosystems, and entire towns are grappling with the impacts and scientists warn this could be just the beginning. Where Has the Rain Gone? Swathes of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia are currently enduring some of the driest conditions on record. This extended dry spell has left farms parched, waterways empty, and communities scrambling to secure drinking water. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, vast regions are experiencing serious rainfall deficiencies. The rains that usually arrive to replenish soil, feed livestock, and fill tanks have simply failed to show up. In their place, slow-moving high-pressure systems have dominated the skies, bring...

Apr302025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate crisis shortens window for global wildfire response as fire seasons start to overlap

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Scientists warn that longer fire seasons in Australia and North America are overlapping due to climate change, challenging international emergency cooperation. Fire risk rising with the climate As global temperatures rise, wildfires are becoming more frequent, intense, and unpredictable. A new international study by scientists from Germany’s Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Australia reveals that fire weather seasons in eastern Australia and western North America are increasingly overlapping largely due to climate change. This shift threatens the long-standing mutual aid system between fire services in Australia the United States and Canada. The findings were published in the journal Earth’s Future. January 2025 LA wildfires past Australia bushfires show the c...

Apr162025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Above Average Monsoon Predicted in 2025 Fueling Hopes for India Farm and Economic Boost

Breaking News, Climate Actions

India is poised to receive above-average monsoon rains in 2025, sparking optimism across the agricultural and economic sectors. With the monsoon season expected to bring 105% of the long-term average rainfall the country could witness a significant uplift in crop production price stability, and rural income. Monsoon rains are vital for India’s economy, supplying nearly 70% of the country’s annual rainfall and directly impacting farming, which supports over half the population. According to M. Ravichandran, a senior government official, the forecast offers a strong foundation for food security and economic resilience. It could help tame food inflation and maintain the Reserve Bank of India’s inflation targets, a key concern in recent months. India’s rice exports, already the largest g...

Apr102025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

La Niña fading India to see normal monsoon in 2025 says Skymet forecast

Breaking News, Climate Actions

India can expect a ‘normal’ southwest monsoon in 2025, according to private weather agency Skymet. The agency has forecasted rainfall at 103% of the long-period average (LPA) of 868.6 mm for the June to September season. In its statement released on April 8, Skymet explained that the brief and weak La Niña phase is now fading, while the usually disruptive El Niño is unlikely to return this season. Instead, neutral conditions in the equatorial Pacific referred to as ENSO-neutral are expected to dominate. This, combined with a potentially positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), sets the stage for a stable and beneficial monsoon. Jatin Singh, Managing Director of Skymet says "ENSO-neutral paired with a positive IOD has historically brought good monsoons, second half of the monsoon season is...

Apr52025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

El Niño Now Lasts Longer Hits Harder Scientists Warn of Deepening Global Crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

El Niño, the notorious climate disruptor, is evolving and not in a good way. Once known for its irregular but relatively short-lived bouts of weather chaos, new research reveals that both El Niño and La Niña are now persisting longer, bringing amplified and prolonged destruction to ecosystems, economies and communities worldwide. Triggered by shifts in Pacific Ocean temperatures, El Niño and its cold-phase counterpart La Niña have long reshaped global weather drying out regions like Africa and Australia, flooding the Americas, and damaging agriculture and fisheries. The 1997-98 El Niño alone caused an estimated $5.7 trillion in global income losses. But what's emerging now is far more alarming. A recent study combining fossilised coral records and cutting-edge climate models revea...

Apr52025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

AI Predicts Atlantic & Benguela Niño Events Months in Advance: A Breakthrough for Ocean Ecosystems

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Tech

In a game-changing climate study, researchers have harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) to predict extreme Atlantic Niño and Benguela Niño events up to 3–4 months in advance, offering new hope for protecting marine ecosystems and coastal communities that rely on them. Led by Marie-Lou Bachèlery at the CMCC (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change), this research marks a major leap in our ability to forecast complex oceanic phenomena that were once considered nearly impossible to predict. Published in Science Advances, the study introduces a deep learning model trained on 90 years of ocean temperature data, delivering unmatched accuracy and early warnings for climate anomalies in the tropical Atlantic. Why It Matters The Tropical Atlantic, particularly the Angola-Benguela Upw...

Mar112025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Scientists Warn Climate Change Weakening La Niña’s Cooling Lose

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Scientists warn that climate change is accelerating so rapidly that La Niña natural cooling current may lose its effectiveness in the future. As temperatures continue to rise India is already experiencing prolonged heat waves with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting an early summer and record-breaking temperatures this year. IMD data reveals that February 2025 was the warmest since 1901, while rainfall levels were among the lowest in over two decades. Experts point to climate change as the driving force behind increasingly warmer winters and shorter springs a shift that is becoming the "new normal." Raghu Murtugudde an Earth system scientist at IIT Bombay noted that shifting jet streams strong winds in the upper atmosphere are directly influencing heatwave patterns. ...

Feb262025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Ecuador Launches Climate Insurance to Protect Small Farmers

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Ecuador has introduced its first parametric insurance program to protect smallholder maize and rice farmers from climate-related risks such as floods, storms, and El Niño-driven weather events. The initiative, led by Guy Carpenter Mexico, AXA Climate, Blue Marble Microinsurance, and Campo Seguro, in partnership with the InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF), aims to provide affordable coverage to farmers who previously lacked access to traditional indemnity-based insurance. Agriculture is crucial to Ecuador’s economy, supporting 17.9% of its workforce and supplying nearly 60% of essential food. However, extreme weather events threaten rural livelihoods, making risk management critical. Unlike conventional insurance, the new parametric model will offer faster payouts based on predefined we...

Feb112025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Record January Heat Shows La Niña Struggling to Cool a Warming World

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

January 2025 has shattered temperature records, marking the hottest start to a year ever recorded 1.7°C above pre-industrial levels. Many climate watchers expected a cooling effect due to the natural La Niña phenomenon, but global warming appears to be overpowering it. Scientists now warn that human-driven ocean warming is beginning to overwhelm natural climate patterns, making temporary cooling phases like La Niña less effective. La Niña is part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate pattern that influences global temperatures by shifting ocean heat between basins. While El Niño causes warming, La Niña typically brings cooler global temperatures by shifting heat away from the eastern Pacific. Historically, La Niña has helped suppress temperature spikes, but this year, ev...

Feb52025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Kerala Faces Early Heatwave as Munnar Remains a Chilly Haven

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Kerala is experiencing an unexpected surge in temperatures, months before summer officially begins. With the lingering effects of El Niño and the Uttarayan shift intensifying the heat, several districts are already witnessing scorching conditions, raising concerns about climate patterns and their impact on daily life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has linked this rise in temperature to the sun’s northward movement, which brings it directly over the Tropic of Cancer. While most of Kerala struggles with unseasonal heat, Munnar the picturesque hill town in Idukki stands apart, recording freezing temperatures as low as zero degrees Celsius. Heatwave-Like Conditions Arrive Early January and February, usually mild months, have seen temperatures climb to alarming levels. Kann...