Eeva Ruuska, Americas Head of Intelligence at Riskline, has shared her thoughts on the impact of La Niña on global weather and 2025 holiday destinations.
A global weather event could bring storms, hot spells and downpours in 2025, potentially causing a spot of holiday bother.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern caused by the warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon increases air temperatures, driving weather extremes like heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall. El Niño and La Niña, its opposite extreme, typically persist for 9-12 months, recurring every 2 to 7 years.
The 2023-24 El Niño was recognised by the World Meteorological Organization as one of the five strongest on record, with 2023 officially confirmed as the hottest year on record.
In 2024, El Niño, combined with human-driven climate change, contributed to record-breaking global temperatures. Heatwaves affected every continent, with regions such as the Mediterranean, Balkans, Japan and South Korea suffering casualties and public health crises. Over ten countries recorded temperatures surpassing 50°C (122°F) in more than one location, including the United States’ Death Valley.
The cooler phase of ENSO, known as La Niña, is expected to emerge and persist through January-March 2025, before a return to ENSO-neutral conditions. Although La Niña is associated with cool temperatures, more extreme weather events can be expected amid rising global temperatures.
Travel patterns will continue to be impacted by these disruptions, with health and safety concerns affecting certain regions, and travel operators adjusting to changing conditions.
Staying informed about weather events is crucial to protect your travel plans. Severe weather warnings and alerts display crucial and potentially life-saving information. These are notifications from the national meteorological authorities via different mediums. These include Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), social media, news outlets, text messages, email, TV and radio. Sign up for government emergency alerts and use smartphone apps designed to provide real-time weather, emergency information and safety tips.
Read the whole article in the Mirror.
