Today is Wednesday, 4 September 2024.
Interesting news in the “Surface air temperature for July 2024” bulletin from Copernicus, the European Union's Earth Observation Programme.
They would signal the transition to La Niña, which - as opposed to El Niño - is related to the cooling of the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of South America, near Ecuador and Peru, leading to other impacts on the atmosphere and global climate.
According to the Copernicus bulletin:
- atmosphere: July 2024 marks the end of a 13-month period in which each month was on average the hottest in the data record for the respective month of the year. On the other hand, it was the month when the Earth experienced its two hottest days on record, with the daily global average reaching 17.16°C and 17.15°C on the 22nd and 23rd of July.
- oceans: the Equatorial Pacific (60°S–60°N) experienced below-average temperatures, after a 15-year series of increases, with a surface temperature of 20.88°C, the second highest value ever recorded for the month, and just 0.01°C below July 2023.
Despite this mildly encouraging news, air temperatures over the ocean remain exceptionally high in many regions. July 2024 was 1.48°C above the estimated July average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period, and it is increasingly likely that 2024 will be the hottest year on record.
The climate will continue to fluctuate between extremes because of the extra heat and humidity in the atmosphere, as the duration and intensity of La Niña is still uncertain.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had already warned about this transition to La Niña, in addition to droughts in South America.
Click on the image below for WMO's “Global Seasonal Climate Update for September-October-November 2024”, which includes important updates on rainfall forecasts around the World.
“In Africa, between around 10º and 25º N and east of 0º, there is a greater probability of above-normal precipitation” is a phrase that catches attention. These coordinates indicate proximity to the Sahara, the largest hot desert in the World.
It is worth reading the article updated this September 2nd with the title “Unexpected Rainfall event starts in the Sahara Desert: A Rare Weather Phenomenon” on the Severe Weather Europe portal. Or watch a 6-minute article from the same day on France24’s YouTube “Down to Earth: Rare deluge to hit parts of the Sahara”.
They also indicate that this month of September is expected exceptional rain in the Sahara desert. Yes, rain in the desert.
Remember when rain began to fall in the desert on the Arabian Peninsula, with incredible satellite images of a green desert.
#LaNiña
