Ireland weather: Forecasters warn of wetter, stormier Autumn as El Niño builds

What El Niño means for Ireland weather

Met Éireann says north-western Europe, Ireland included, is likely to feel it in the coming months, as the Irish Mirror reported on Sunday morning.

El Niño describes unusually warm surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific, first noticed centuries ago when Peruvian fishermen saw their stocks disrupted.

Its opposite phase, when cold, nutrient-rich water rises, is La Niña. According to Met Éireann, the switch between the two happens every two to seven years and shifts rainfall and average temperatures worldwide.

The forecaster says this phase raises the risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa and north-east Australia, while pushing wetter and stormier conditions towards north-western Europe.

A Met Éireann expert said sea surface temperatures are well above average, loading the atmosphere with extra moisture for any low-pressure systems tracking our way.

Professor Adam Scaife, head of long range forecasting at the UK Met Office, did not undersell it.

“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event. I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts," said Scaife.

Closer to home, the immediate picture is already damp: the Irish Independent reports the current rainy spell will stretch into next weekend with unsettled days ahead.

That follows an unsettled August and a damp bank holiday, after Met Éireann’s bank holiday forecast fell short of a summer send-off.