Multiple factors lead to freak weather

Multiple factors lead to freak weather

TOKYO - Abnormal weather patterns have hit many parts of the world this summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Japan, Europe, Central Asia, India and the West Coast of North America have suffered from intense heat.

Numerous conditions are believed to have led to the unusual weather. Global warming has worsened the situation.

Unexpected

The Tropical Pacific is considered an engine of global weather because it influences worldwide airflows. This, in turn, affects weather patterns. El Nino, a condition in which the surface temperature in the eastern part of the Tropical Pacific stays high and the western part remains below average, has occurred this year. This makes air currents stronger in some areas and creates abnormal atmospheric pressure patterns. The effects of El Nino are felt far and wide.

The current El Nino began last year, but became much more apparent in recent months. "It will likely rank among the three strongest El Ninos on record," said Tamaki Yasuda, a senior coordinator at Japan's Meteorological Agency.

High temperatures that hit West Africa, southern India, Indochina and Indonesia in July were symptomatic of El Nino. However, the unusually hot summer in Japan and Europe goes against what is normally observed during El Nino.

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