Why haven’t we had an Atlantic hurricane yet? Thank El Niño.

Scientists say a record-strength El Niño, more than 3 degrees Celsius above normal sea surface temperatures, is why the Atlantic hasn't produced a single hurricane this season past the point it normally would have four. The culprit is wind shear and dry sinking air that El Niño generates over the Atlantic, disrupting the conditions hurricanes need to form.

The same phenomenon is doing the opposite on the Pacific side, where Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified to Category 5 and another storm, Nolo, threatens Hawaii with heavy rain. Researchers project El Niño-linked heat could kill 451,000 people globally in its first nine months, while reshaping rainfall patterns toward drought in the Amazon, Southeast Asia and parts of Africa.

Scientists interviewed frame the current extremes as a preview of baseline conditions in about 20 years as warming continues, urging governments to stockpile food and firefighting resources ahead of expected crop failures and fires.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.