Updated: 29-02-2024
Source: China Meteorological News Press
In January 2024, the sea surface temperature (SST) in most portions of the Equatorial Pacific was higher than that in the same period of normal years, with the warm water center in the Eastern Pacific warmer by more than 2.5°C. The SST index in the key El Niño monitoring area (Niño 3.4) was 1.80°C, down by 0.22°C from December 2023, indicating that the El Niño episode (which began in May 2023) started to decline in January 2024. Peaking in December 2023, it is rated as an El Niño event of moderate intensity.
Sea surface temperature anomaly distribution in January 2024 (℃)
The monitoring shows that in January 2024, SST in most portions of the mid-latitude North Pacific Ocean was significantly higher than that in the same period of normal years, while that in the North Indian Ocean was uniformly warmer, and that in most portions of the North Atlantic higher.
With domestic and international dynamic climate models and statistical methods, Beijing Climate Centre (BCC) has predicted that SST in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific will continue to decline over the next three months, leading the El Niño episode to an end around April 2024.
Editor: LIU Shuqiao