20151223 BBC_What is El Nino and how is the strongest El Nino since 1950 on the way affecting countries around the world?

How is El Nino affecting countries around the world?

Powerful hurricanes in Mexico, drought in Ethiopia, flash-floods and mudslides in southern California - all have been attributed to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Occurring every few years, the current El Nino is one of the strongest recorded and could contribute to making 2015 the hottest year on record.

But what is El Nino?

What is El Nino?

An El Nino climate event is under way that could potentially become one of the strongest events since 1950.

That's according to a new Met Office report which says that 2015 has already seen the warmest start to any year on record.

It also outlines that El Nino is one of three key climate patterns that could lead to changes in our global temperature.

The event occurs when the waters of the Pacific become exceptionally warm and distort weather patterns around the world.

20140109 BBC_North America's big freeze seen from space

Satellite images have captured the progress of the big freeze that has gripped the United States and Canada, plunging many states into unfamiliar freezing temperatures.

4 January

The most extreme arctic blasts, blamed on a shift in the weather pattern known as the "polar vortex", sent colder air further south than usual.

7 January

Satellite images from 7 January show cloud off the east coast - more than 191 million are believed to have been affected by the cold weather, at least 21 have died as a result. Forecasters are now expecting the eastern US to warm a little - although some still face temperatures 15-25 degrees below average.

North America's big freeze seen from space

20140109 HKCR_澳洲部份地區高達攝氏50度大量動物熱死

北美受到寒流侵襲之際，南半球的澳洲就出現熱浪，西澳礦區的氣溫高達攝氏50度，接近一九六零年在南澳錄得的50.7度歷史高溫，附近居民形容感覺好像置身焗爐內。當地大量鸚鵡、袋鼠及最少五萬隻蝙蝠熱死。氣象部門預測，熱浪將持續至下星期。

同樣位於南半球的巴西，里約熱內盧的氣溫亦高達攝氏49度。動物園方面讓動物食雪條降溫。

20140109 HKET_冰封美國 50州錄零度以下

【經濟日報專訊】北極寒風侵襲全美，50州皆有地點錄得攝氏（下同）零度以下低溫，紐約氣溫創118年新低，多座城市比南極點更冷。有囚犯越獄成功後不抵嚴寒，選擇自首。

在北極渦旋籠罩下，美國東面半壁江山氣溫都較平常低10至20度。紐約中央公園周二早上錄得近零下16度，打破1896年同一日的零下14度紀錄。

俄亥俄州克利夫蘭更降至零下24度，為130年來最冷。當日南極點氣溫約為零下21度；除了克利夫蘭，芝加哥、底特律和匹兹堡等多座大城市皆比南極點更冷。

夏威夷也嚴寒 山峰錄負7度

更令人意想不到的是，遠離北極渦旋的夏威夷，這幾天也特別冷，大島上的山峰錄到零下7度，惟未破紀錄；嚴寒在全美已奪去至少21人性命。

氣溫如此極端，以致肯塔基州一名囚犯逃出監獄後，寧願再失自由也不想凍死，到汽車旅館要求東主報警。當局把他帶到醫院檢查，再送回監獄服刑。

幸好這場嚴寒快將結束，各地氣溫今日料回升至較正常水平，東部及中西部最低維持零度以下。連日來已有兩萬班航機取消，估計經濟損失高達50億美元（約388億港元）。