New Delhi, April 8 -- The probability of a "super El Niño" developing later this year is rising sharply, with one atmospheric scientist warning it could be the most powerful such event in 140 years, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Citing an updated forecast from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the report said sea temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific could warm more than 2 degrees Celsius above average - the threshold for a super El Niño - with impacts likely peaking in December or January. The ECMWF outlook doubles down on a super El Niño prediction it had issued the previous month. "Real potential for the strongest El Niño event in 140 years," Paul Roundy, professor of atmospheric science at the State University of New York at Albany, was quoted as saying. The event, if it materialises, could break the intensity record set in December 2015, when sea temperatures in the region reached 2.8degC above average. Among the signals pointing to a potent event, the report noted, is a rare triplet-cyclone pattern forming in the Pacific. However, it cautioned that uncertainty remains about the final intensity, and that no two El Niño events are alike. Super El Niño events occur once every 10 to 15 years on average. During a standard El Niño, a warming patch of water in the equatorial Pacific influences which regions face droughts, floods, extreme heat, hurricanes and declining sea ice. In a super event, those dynamics are significantly amplified. For India, the forecast points to potential drought in central and northern regions, with suppressed monsoon rainfall that could affect agricultural output. The broader regional picture includes heightened hurricane and typhoon risk in the Pacific while Atlantic hurricane activity may actually decline. The report warned new global temperature records are likely, particularly in 2027, probably surpassing records set in 2024. htc...