Storms rarely come in threes, but the Pacific may soon see it. Forecasters say an unusual setup could generate not just "twin" but "triplet" tropical cyclones straddling the equator in the western Pacific as early as this weekend—and the stakes extend far beyond a remote stretch of ocean, reports the Washington Post. One slow-moving system near the Solomon Islands and eastern Papua New Guinea could linger over waters in the upper 80s, dumping 50 to 100 inches of rain and triggering flash flooding and landslides, local forecasters warn. Another storm is expected to form between Vanuatu and Fiji, while a third could spin up north of the equator near Micronesia, Guam, and the Northern Marianas.
"Imagine putting your finger into a pool and moving it in a straight line. You would see swirls develop on either side of your finger," said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of twin cyclones. "The same concept is at play with tropical cyclones, it is just Mother Nature doing the stirring." Meteorologists say the cluster could generate a powerful "westerly wind burst" that shoves warm water east across the Pacific, a key ingredient for El Niño.
A similar scenario occurred in 1997 and 2015, when twin cyclones formed, notes Newsweek. "Both of those years did become very strong El Niño years, super El Niño events," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill said. A strong or "super" El Niño later this year could mean hotter summers in the American West, shifting drought and flood patterns worldwide, more Pacific hurricanes and fewer in the Atlantic, and a push toward record global temperatures in 2026 or 2027.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
