Shock! Horror! Possibly!

From The Telegraph:

Global warming has caused a new El Nino weather pattern to form in the Pacific known as 'Modoki' that could cause havoc across the world, according to scientists.

El Nino occurs every two to seven years when the surface ocean waters of the Eastern Pacific are unusually warm. The tongue-shaped recurring patch of warm water can make wind patterns over the ocean change, causing cyclones.

However new studies suggest El Nino is gradually being replaced by a phenomenon in the centre of the Pacific known as "Modoki" – a Japanese word meaning "similar but different". This weather pattern is characterised by a horseshoe-shaped region of warm ocean flanked by unusually cool waters and causes storms in the same way as El Nino.

The study in Nature predicts that while El Nino becomes less frequent, Modoki is likely to be occurring five times more often by the end of the century because of climate change. What effect this will have on global climate is unclear, but one outcome could be worsening droughts in India and Australia. It could also cause more severe hurricanes in the Caribbean and US, since El Nino is known to hamper the development of tropical cyclones.

The changing ocean events may even have an impact on the UK and northern Europe, as there is a link between strong El Ninos and heavier than normal spring rainfall over central Europe and southern regions of the UK.

H/t Christina Speight.