Grab your sunscreen and some ice-cold water. Following a record-breaking June, many climate experts predict that 2023 is on track to be the hottest year ever. Extreme heat is good news for beachgoers, but it can be bad news for both our health and the environment. Here, we explore several factors that researchers believe may be contributing to the sizzling summer temps.
El Niño and La Niña
El Niño is a type of weather pattern that disrupts normal environmental conditions. This climate event weakens trade winds, which causes warmer ocean water to push to east. El Niño brings warmer, drier temperatures to the northern US and Canada. According to the National Weather Service, the expected El Niño arrived in early June 2023. Researchers believe this weather pattern will be responsible for an increase in global temperatures. While El Niño ramps up, another weather pattern, called La Niña, ended earlier this year. La Niña is an opposing climate event that brings cooler ocean temperatures due to stronger trade winds. La Niña’s exit is expected to bring warmer weather compared to last year.