El Niño phenomenon

El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by the periodic warming of surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator. This warming disrupts normal weather patterns, leading to significant changes worldwide—such as increased rainfall and storms in some regions, and droughts and wildfires in others. It occurs approximately every two to seven years and lasts several months. El Niño impacts global weather, agriculture, and ecosystems, often causing unpredictable and extreme conditions. Its opposite phase, La Niña, involves cooler Pacific surface waters and typically results in different global weather effects.