Lahore Mirror: A rapidly intensifying “super El Niño” could bring heavier rain, above-normal snowfall and a warmer but highly unpredictable winter to South Korea after an unusually wet and volatile October, according to meteorological officials.
South Korea’s weather patterns may be entering a more extreme phase as a powerful El Niño system gathers strength in the Pacific, raising concerns about further disruptions in the coming months.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), October saw dramatic shifts between dry conditions, unusually high temperatures and frequent heavy rainfall. The month began with very little precipitation before temperatures climbed sharply in mid-October. Rain then swept across the country repeatedly during the final weeks.
The KMA said rainfall occurred across South Korea roughly every two to three days during parts of late October. The number of rainy days recorded during the final part of the month was the highest since the country expanded its nationwide weather observation network in 1973.
Seoul also experienced exceptionally intense rainfall on October 18, when 35.1 millimeters of rain fell within a single hour, setting a new record for the date.
Meteorological officials linked the unusual weather partly to the developing El Niño, a climate pattern triggered by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.
The KMA said the strengthening system suppressed convective activity over the tropical western Pacific, helping create a high-pressure circulation southeast of the Korean Peninsula. Warm, moisture-filled air then moved along the edge of that system, creating conditions favorable for frequent rainfall.
The agency warned that the influence of El Niño on South Korea’s temperatures and precipitation is usually strongest during November and December.
However, officials said this year’s developing system became significantly stronger from around mid-October, suggesting that its effects may already be influencing weather conditions across the Korean Peninsula.
Record-Breaking El Niño Expected to Peak in December
The current El Niño is now developing into what scientists describe as an exceptionally powerful “super El Niño,” with its peak expected in December.
According to forecasts cited by the World Meteorological Organization, sea-surface temperatures in the key El Niño monitoring region could rise as much as 3.7 degrees Celsius above normal between October and December.
If that projection is reached, it would significantly exceed the previous record of a 2.6-degree Celsius anomaly during the 2015–16 El Niño event.
The consequences are already being felt in several parts of the world.
In South America, severe drought and flooding have intensified weather-related pressures. More than 70,000 cattle have reportedly died in Bolivia amid extreme drought conditions, prompting President Rodrigo Paz to declare a national emergency.
Meanwhile, Peru has faced heavy rainfall and flooding as authorities continue to monitor the effects of the warming Pacific.
The World Health Organization has also warned that an extreme El Niño could place enormous pressure on global food supplies, water resources and public health systems. The organization estimates that as many as 50 million people could face direct impacts, while emergency response preparations are being intensified
