Episode Details

Super El Niño Climate Volatility
Jeremy Zakis discusses the unprecedented volatility surrounding the Super El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology faces forecasting challenges as unseasonably mild spring weather replaces expected heatwaves, caused by thermal energy shifting eastward to fuel Category 5 Hurricane Polo near Mexico. Zakis details Australia's severe bushfire threat cycle: sudden wet periods fuel heavy undergrowth, which rapidly dries out during subsequent heat spells, creating vast amounts of tinder vulnerable to destructive lightning-ignited fires. (6)