UK winter weather: El Nino could plunge country into long, snowy winter

The weather pattern could raise global temperatures at the same time

The UK is set for a snowy winter, according to experts (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The UK could be in for a bitterly cold and snowy winter due to the effects of the El Nino phenomenon, which experts have said is at its strongest for decades.

The term relates to a particular relationship between the atmosphere and the ocean, and occurs around every two to seven years. It can have disastrous effects on the world’s weather system.

El Nino events happen when predominant winds which occur over surface water in the tropical pacific start to become weaker. In turn, warm waters in the western Pacific begin to wash eastwards, forcing precipitation to follow.

The latest cycle could push the average global temperature past 2014's record high in 2016.

However, meteorologists predict that the El Nino will create weather in the UK this winter similar to that of 2009/2010, when heavy snowfall caused chaos at transport hubs including airports.

Thomas Shafernaker, a Met Office meteorologist and BBC forecaster, told The Telegraph: “This time round it could be the strongest in decades.

“In Europe sometimes winters end up much colder and drier and last much into spring. In 2010 the El Nino played a part in bringing huge amounts of snow to the UK.”

However, Met Office climatologist Dr Doug Smith told the newspaper that it was too early to predict the exact impact that the phenomenon would have on Britain.

El Nino means “little boy” or “the baby Jesus” in Spanish, and was named by South American fishermen who noticed that the ocean heats around Christmas.

Its counterpart, La Nina, or “little girl”, occurs when equatorial Pacific waters are unusually cold. El Nino and La Nina are together knwon as the El Nino Southern Oscillation, or ENSO.

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