Around 200 years ago, Peruvian fishermen recognized that from time to time, around Christmas, the oceans would begin to warm up. El Niño (the boy child) and La Niña (the girl child) are not new climatic phenomena. El Niño and La Niña are opposite climate patterns that arise from changes in the sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño and La Niña can affect weather patterns around the world.
 |
| Differences in sea surface temperatures June 2026 - WMO |
We now have the knowledge and expertise to predict the oncoming of these events – although it can be complicated. There are strong predictions for an El Niño event for later this year, extending into 2027, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
 |
| Sea Surface temperature indices - BoM |
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (YouTube) is expecting a transition to an El Niño a bit later this winter, which will bring hotter and drier weather to eastern Australia. The Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/20 (Wikipedia) - 24 million hectares burnt, 3000 buildings destroyed, 33 lives lost - were a direct result of the 2018/19 El Niño event.
 |
| Shade trees reduce the urban heat island effect during periods of extreme heat |
The ever-increasing frequency and strength of El Niño events, combined with global warming due to climate change, makes urban tree cover an obvious obligation!