The planet-warming weather event known as El Niño has officially begun in the Pacific Ocean. US scientists confirmed its status on 9 June 2023, claiming it will make 2024 the world's hottest year – although the effects will begin immediately. Floods and droughts (which, in turn, can spark wildfires such as the one pictured in the Central Coast, Australia) are predicted until the end of this year, mainly threatening islands in the Pacific, as well as the US and Australia.
El Niño Southern Oscillation, as it's officially called, has three different phases: warm, cold and neutral. It's the El Niño part that's hot, occurring every two to seven years and resulting in a warming of the ocean surface. Record warm years (including 2016, the current hottest) usually happen after a powerful El Niño event, and this one is expected to cause widespread damage to our ecosystems and disrupt global weather patterns. This image shows the varying sea surface temperatures across the globe.
Overheating from El Niño, combined with human activities, is expected to break a key temperature limit for the first time ever. According to experts, the planet will pass the 1.5°C (2.7°F) global warming threshold before 2027. For context, if we exceeded the 1.5°C every year for a decade, we'd see far greater impacts of warming such as longer heatwaves and extreme weather resulting in intense storms and wildfires.
Trade winds in the Pacific weaken during El Niño (meaning 'the little boy' in Spanish), while in the event of La Niña (meaning 'the little girl'), they are unusually strong due to its cooling effect. Together, these events can trigger extreme weather such as the record-breaking Cyclone Freddy, which wreaked havoc across parts of Africa including Malawi (pictured) in February and March this year.
For Canada and the northern US, El Niño can lead to warmer weather, while the southern US and northern Mexico will experience heavy rainfall, resulting in landslides and flooding (such as those pictured in Kentucky last year). In eastern Australia, El Niño raises the risk of drought, bushfires and heatwaves in what is already expected to be a drier winter and spring than usual.
Read on as we look back at the most destructive weather and weather-related events of the last decade...
A terrifying tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma in May 2013. The town experienced three days of extreme weather before the twister spun for around 20 minutes, destroying 300 homes and killing at least 24 people, including nine children. The powerful twister completely devastated the area and left a 14-mile (22.5km) path of destruction in its wake plus £1.5 billion ($2bn) in damages.
Heavy rainfall caused huge quantities of flooding across central Europe between May and June 2013, affecting Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, among others. Rising waters from swollen rivers invaded buildings and streets across the region and more than 45,000 people were forced to evacuate. The floods caused billions of euros of damage.
June 2013 was also a rainy month in Canada, as torrential rain triggered by the melting snowpack of the Rocky Mountains sparked catastrophic flooding in Alberta. At least five people died and thousands had to flee their homes as buildings and roads were completely submerged. The flood damage was as pricey as it was severe, costing Canada an eye-watering CA$6 billion (£3.5bn/$4.5bn).
The most powerful storm and typhoon of 2013 struck the Philippines on 8 November. The Category 5 storm and super typhoon was one of the strongest ever recorded, with wind speeds of more than 150 miles per hour (241km/h) which completely ravaged the country. The terrifying typhoon smashed buildings and upturned roads killing 6,000 people and injuring thousands as it tore through towns and cities.
A freak sand and dust storm engulfed Iran’s capital Tehran in a matter of minutes on 2 June 2014. More than 30 people were left injured and at least four people were killed by the deadly winds which moved at 70 miles per hour (113km/h). The apocalyptic storm resulted in citywide property damage and at least 50,000 people were left with no electricity.
Severe flooding swept across parts of southeast Africa in January 2015, claiming over 100 lives. Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar and Zimbabwe were among the countries to experience the heavy rainfall, which affected almost 900,000 people. The excessive flooding submerged houses, washed away livestock and destroyed roads, leaving thousands without food, water or shelter for weeks. The destructive floods caused millions of dollars of damage across the four countries.
Brazil’s worst drought in 80 years gripped the country back in September 2014. The region's rainfall fell dangerously low and caused lakes and reservoirs to completely dry up. Hundreds suffered water supply cuts in Brazil’s financial capital Sao Paulo alone, prompting a nationwide bid to save water. The deadly drought dried out the country for roughly two years, as Brazil struggled to cope with the intense heat. The drought finally ended after El Nino triggered more rainfall than the country had seen in months.
A searing heatwave swept over India during spring and summer 2015 and killed thousands. Unusual winds caused a 'heat bomb' that hit the country with intense temperatures up to 48°C (118°F). The blistering heat caused hundreds to experience severe heatstroke from even a few minutes outside and caused roads to melt in India’s capital New Delhi. The high temperatures are thought to have caused at least 2,300 deaths and only subsided when monsoon rains finally cooled the country.
Torrential rain triggered deadly floods which submerged parts of northern and southern China for months in 2016. Many died from drowning and being trapped by collapsed buildings, and thousands were forced to relocate. The floods were branded the worst to affect the region since 1998, causing a hefty £25.5 billion ($33bn) in damages from wrecked roads and ruined buildings.
Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on 4 October and its catastrophic scale caused Haiti’s largest humanitarian crisis since the 2010 earthquake. Around two million people were affected by the disaster, which travelled through the Caribbean all the way to the American southeast. The horrific hurricane claimed more than 500 lives and obliterated buildings, roads, crops and water supplies. When Hurricane Matthew eventually hit the US, damages were estimated at around £7.8 billion ($10bn).
A huge storm swept through western Europe between 9 and 18 October 2017. Hurricane Ophelia was the worst storm to hit Ireland in 50 years, killing three people as it raged through the country. The huge hurricane toppled trees and left more than 120,000 homes without power, while widespread flooding rocked the coast. The hurricane finally died down on 18 October having caused £60 million ($77.5m) of damage.
Category 4 Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana hard when it made landfall in August 2017. The hurricane ripped through Houston and southeastern Texas, triggering huge floods after 51 inches of rainfall swept through the state, killing at least 60 people. The catastrophic hurricane caused around £96.6 billion ($125bn) of damages, the second costliest hurricane recorded in the US since 1900, just after Hurricane Katrina.
Severe overnight rain triggered a series of landslides that swept through Bangladesh in June 2017. Roads and communications were completely cut off by the intense rain and at least 133 people died while hundreds were left injured.
Neighbouring Nepal also faced huge landslides from heavy rain during August. Hundreds of towns and villages were flooded, claiming at least 110 lives as the country experienced over 400mm of rain in just 24 hours. Hundreds were left homeless and without food or water as houses and shelters were completely submerged by high water levels.
A muddy hillside on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown collapsed and flooded the city on 14 August. The hill gave way after three days of torrential rain, flooding the city with debris and water. At least 400 people were killed with hundreds missing. The poor drainage systems in the city's outer areas were completely overwhelmed by the high water levels.
The strongest Atlantic baseline hurricane ever recorded outside the Caribbean hit eastern US states and parts of South America back in August 2017. Hurricane Irma triggered up to 15 feet (4.5m) of floodwater and left 1.3 million in Florida without power within four hours. The Bahamas was also hit hard by the hurricane’s deadly wake, and roughly 5,000 people were forced to evacuate, the largest number of evacuees in Bahamian history. At least 129 people were killed in total in the southeastern states.
Category 5 Hurricane Maria made landfall on 20 September and caused widespread destruction and devastation throughout the US, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Battered buildings, toppled trees and flooded rivers were left in its deadly wake. Chest-deep floodwaters in Puerto Rico forced people to use paddle boats to seek help and search for survivors. The hurricane is estimated to have caused over £69 billion ($90bn) in US damages and was the worst to hit Puerto Rico in 80 years.
On 23 July 2018, roaring fires engulfed the Attica region of Greece destroying over a thousand buildings. The first fire broke out in a pine forest near Kineta 30 miles (48km) west of Athens, which was followed by major fires northeast of the city. The deadly wildfires are thought to have been triggered by extremely high temperatures during the 2018 European heatwave and possibly arson. It's the second deadliest wildfire of the 21st century so far, with 91 people confirmed dead.
The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history caused 85 deaths and destroyed 18,800 buildings as it swept through the town of Paradise in Butte County. The blame lies with PG&E electrical transmission lines, coupled with a 200-day drought and strong winds before the fire started. The tinder-dry land was an easy target for the flames to spread. The Camp Fire was the costliest disaster worldwide in 2018.
Polar ice winds swept across the Midwest in January turning Chicago into an icy wasteland. Temperatures dropped to a record-breaking -31°C (-23°F), chilling the city and leaving hundreds stranded in the snowy weather. It wasn’t until mid-March that the freezing temperatures finally rose. The deep freeze cost retailers and restaurants alone up to £780 million ($1bn).
On 14 March, Mozambique’s coastline was struck by the deadly Cyclone Idai. The killer cyclone left hundreds dead as it tore through Mozambique and Zimbabwe, triggering deadly winds and flash floods and destroying hundreds of buildings and roads. According to the UN, around 1.7 million people lived near the cyclone’s week-long trail of destruction, leaving thousands homeless in the aftermath. The cyclone cost the southern African nations over £1.5 billion ($2bn) to repair the damage.
Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands in September. The record-breaking hurricane, which was the strongest to ever hit the Bahamas, claimed at least 50 lives as it ripped through towns and villages. At least 76,000 people were reportedly affected.
Typhoon Hagibis, the largest to hit the region in years, devastated Japan in October 2019. With winds up to 140 miles per hour (225km/h), the typhoon tore through the country's coastline on 12 October, leaving at least 35 dead as powerful landslides and floods struck the region. The destruction, which also caused some Rugby World Cup matches to be postponed, finally ended when the typhoon died down on 20 October.
This particular wildfire burned throughout southern California from late October to 6 November. The ferocious flames, exacerbated by both the Santa Ana and Diablo winds, destroyed hundreds of homes and buildings, forcing thousands in Sonoma County to evacuate as the fire raged on. The cost of the damage was in the billions of dollars.
Cyclone Amphan descended on India in mid-May 2020. It surged through the eastern capital of Kolkata, uprooting thousands of trees, severing power lines and flattening homes. Millions were left without power in what was dubbed the worst cyclone the city had seen in over 100 years. At least 80 people were killed across India and Bangladesh.
Although the Camp Fire, which raged in northern California in late 2018, is the deadliest wildfire in the state by some margin, the wildfires in 2020 surpassed the record for the area affected twice over, with more than four million acres scorched. The same year also saw five of the six largest fires since records began in 1932 – and the first ‘gigafire’, covering more than a million acres, in modern history. More than 30 people died in the blazes, which were the result of a record-breaking heatwave and strong winds.
For four months, the Dixie Fire burned through nearly one million acres of land in northern California. Spanning five counties and more than 1,500 square miles (3,885sq km), the colossal wildfire burned through the state’s heavily forested areas in the northeast. The fire became the largest single wildfire in California’s history.
Typhoon Rai barrelled across the Philippines causing monumental damage. Tens of thousands fled their homes as the tropical cyclone tore through the southeastern parts of the island destroying houses, uprooting trees and severing power lines. Known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Odette, it has been described as one of the strongest storms anywhere in the world in 2021.
Kentucky was hit with historic flooding in late July 2022 as its governor, Andy Beshear, declared a state of emergency. The six counties of Clay, Letcher, Floyd, Breathitt, Pike and Owsley saw the worst of it. Described as the most devastating flooding event in the state's history, federal aid had to be sent to support recovery efforts in the most affected areas. At least 43 people were killed.
Seoul saw record-level rainfall in early August 2022, flooding multiple homes, subway stations and roads. As the rain total rose to 16 inches (422mm), authorities declared a Level 3 emergency alert. The Korean capital was hit with 5.6 inches (141.5mm) of downpour per hour, making it the highest ever recorded in the city. More than 800 residents had to be evacuated and at least eight people died. In the 700 affected houses and shops, the flooding caused power failures and in some cases irreparable damage.
In late October, the Philippines was hit by destructive heavy rain due to tropical storm Nalgae, which passed through the islands and headed into the South China Sea. The devastating event affected more than one million people, with 900,000 forced to evacuate their homes and more than 40,000 acres of crop fields damaged by the floodwater. It was reported that 98 people were killed, with 63 missing and feared dead due to mudslides caused by the storm.
Western Australia experienced its worst-ever flooding at the start of 2023, and the Kimberley in the northwest took the brunt. The Fitzroy River peaked at 52 feet (15.8m), about 5.9 feet (1.8m) above the previous record. Communities across the region were left reeling as the rapidly rising waters cut off isolated towns for weeks afterwards, as well as wreaking havoc on farms and killing livestock.
Southern Africa was hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy not once but twice in March, leaving a trail of destruction across Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. In total, the storm killed at least 220 people and brought unimaginable suffering to some of the poorest countries in the world. According to the World Meteorological Organization, Freddy now holds the record for most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), generating as much power as a full North Atlantic hurricane season.
The deadliest tornado in Mississippi's history caused 25 deaths as it decimated the small town of Rolling Fork. Rated a four on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, the tornado had wind speeds of up to 170 miles per hour (274km/h) and covered a distance of almost 60 miles (97km), lasting for more than an hour.