El Niño May Bring Record-Breaking Temperatures & Here's How It Impacts Canadian Travellers

If you're not ready to talk about winter, look away now!

El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific region for the first time in seven years, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which could lead to a "surge" in global temperatures and some pretty disruptive weather.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern that happens with the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. On average, it happens every two to seven years and usually lasts from 9 to 12 months.

La Niña, its counterpart, takes place when the Pacific Ocean sea surface cools.

The WMO has forecast that there's a probability of 90% that an El Niño event will continue into the second half of 2023, and it's likely to be of "moderate strength."

"The onset of El Niño will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean," said Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO secretary-general.

If you're travelling abroad, the oncoming El Niño event usually creates some typical weather conditions around the world, including increased rainfall in southern South America, the southern U.S., the Horn of Africa and central Asia, so if you're travelling to these regions, you may want to keep an eye on the weather forecast.

It can also cause severe droughts in some areas, too, including Australia, Indonesia, parts of Southern Asia, Central America and northern South America.

For Canadians, you might be able to breathe a sigh of relief as El Niño events usually bring a milder-than-usual winter.

Environment and Climate Change Canada said Canada is usually most affected by El Niño during the winter and spring when the ridge of high pressure means most of the country can expect above-normal temperatures.

It's especially good news for those in Western, northwestern and central Canada who are likely to see milder conditions. Usually, Eastern Canada and the Maritimes aren't significantly impacted.

The last El Niño event took place in 2015 and 2016, and that winter, temperatures were 1 to 5 degrees warmer across all of Canada, with "unseasonal warmth" in Quebec, the central Prairies and the Yukon.

Spring was also warmer than normal in Western Canada and the Prairies, while an inflow of arctic air caused colder-than-normal temperatures in Eastern and northeastern Canada.

So whether you're travelling abroad or remaining in Canada in the second half of the year, watch out for El Niño.