'Godzilla' of El Ninos could be strongest since 1950: Dave Phillips

Satellite images shows this winter's El Nino to be even stronger than the one that wreaked havoc in the winter of 1997-98, CBS News reports.

The current El Nino weather episode that's causing some of the wild weather seen around the world this year shows no signs of waning, according to NASA. During that event, the "Great Ice Storm of January 1998 crippled northern New England while across the southern United States, a steady convoy of storms slammed most of California, the Southwest and drenched Texas". The warmer ocean waters pump heat and moisture high into the atmosphere, altering the jet stream and affecting storm tracks all over the world. El Niño was originally recognized by fishermen off the coast of South America in the 1600s, with the appearance of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean. The presence of El Niño can significantly influence weather patterns, ocean conditions, and marine fisheries across large portions of the globe for an extended period of time.

While no one can predict the exact timing or intensity of U.S. El Nino impacts, the flip-side of it is that for drought-stricken California and the U.S. West, it's expected to bring some relief - the arrival of steady, heavy rains and snowfall.

"Since November we have a total of eight deaths (due to El Nino)", Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Civil Defense Oscar Cabrera said as quoted by La Prensa on Tuesday.

NASA said that the full effects of El Nino may not be felt in North America until early 2016, warning that we may not have seen the "peak" of the still-growing weather phenomenon. It accounted for the wettest and warmest winter temperatures in close to 104 years.

Phillips agrees, noting that this El Nino has "earned its stripes", dubbing it as the "Godzilla of El Ninos".

• UCLA at Washington State

• Why 2016 Will Be the Year of Jennifer Lopez