El Nino has arrived, and weather experts fear the global climate phenomenon may be primed to match a deadly event that led to the deaths of more than 50 million people.
The natural climate pattern occurs when warmer-than-usual waters in the Pacific change the weather around the world for a minimum of several months.
Ocean conditions have now warmed to the point where El Nino is active and will likely continue well into next year, officials declared on Thursday.
A spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said: ‘El Nino conditions are present and expected to strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter 2026-27.’