"BOGOTÁ, Colombia — An El Niño weather system forecast to be among the strongest in recent history has been contributing to an array of disasters, from fires to floods, around the world.

The disruptive weather pattern, occurring over many months every few years, involves an unusual warming of water in the Pacific Ocean and often brings a whiplash of moisture to normally dry areas, and drought to wet, temperate areas. Climate change has exacerbated those extremes, experts say.

“We have made it worse” with climate change, said Mark Cane, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University.

South America has been hit especially hard by what Crane calls the “one-two punch of El Niño plus global warming.”"

Bryan Pietsch reports for the Washington Post February 19, 2024. [2]