Haunting simulation shows why 'Godzilla' El Niño is so powerful as people told to 'prepare'

A simulation has explained why the current El Niño is expected to be devastating around the entire world.

The current El Niño cycle is now being described as the largest ever recorded, with temperatures predicted to rise significantly above the minimum required for El Niño to be declared.

El Niño can have a very different impact in different parts of the world, with everything from extreme drought to extreme floods, but its effect on people and the natural environment can be enormously destructive.

This cycle has even been referred to as 'Super El Niño', which is not a formal term but has been used to illustrate the intensity of this cycle. Some have even referred to it as a 'Godzilla' El Niño.

While El Niño is a naturally occurring phenomenon and is not caused by climate change, some scientists are now warning that the combined impact of El Niño and rising global temperatures from climate change is likely to only exacerbate the impact.

A simulation of El Niño was shared by the X account @Geosophyy, and gave a visual explanation of the phenomenon.

El Niño is part of the ENSO cycle, which stands for El Niño Southern Oscillation, and is part of the process of the warming and cooling of the Pacific Ocean's surface temperature.

The cooling part of this phase is called 'La Niña', or 'the girl' in Spanish, while El Niño, or 'the boy', is the warming phase.

A clip shared to social media explained that the surface temperature of the eastern Pacific Ocean is affected by winds called the Trade Winds, which move across the Earth's equatorial region in an east-west direction.

The winds carry warm air and water westwards across the Pacific Ocean, pushing the warmer water towards South-East Asia and Oceania, with the warmer water there evaporating and contributing to rainfall.

But when the trade winds weaken sometimes then more warmer water is retained in the Eastern Pacific and less moves westwards. For the Americas this means warmer weather and more rainfall, while in Southeast Asia and Oceania it means less rain.

The current El Niño is expected to cause widespread destruction and disruption around the globe, with 2027 predicted to be the hottest year on record as a result, even after 2026 already broke heat records.

People living in the UK have also been warned by the government, with Defence Secretary Wes Streeting advising brits to stock up on three key items in case of disruption, whether by extreme weather or geopolitics.

“It’s having some cash at home, having a supply of bottled water indoors, having some tinned goods that you can access if your electric goes and you’re not able to cook on the hob or in the microwave," he told The Sun.

“These are basic things, and of course, you know, a lot of people just have that in their cupboard naturally.”

Some predictions have said that the current El Niño cycle could lead to as many as 450,000 deaths around the world, according to a report from Professor Michael Greenstone, co-founder of the University of Chicago's Climate Impact Lab.