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What will happen when “the blob” meets “Godzilla” off the coast of the Pacific Northwest later this year?

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The question might sound like science fiction, but B.C. scientists say they are fascinated and watching closely.

Experts forecast this year could bring one of the most intense El Niño events in recorded history, of such strength that some scientists recently dubbed it the “Godzilla El Niño.”

The El Niño is expected to bring another warm, dry winter to southern B.C., and experts are watching to see how it combines with a warm-water phenomenon called “the blob” already being observed off the coast of the Pacific North West.

“This is where it starts to sound really science fiction, but how these two worlds are coming together … we haven’t seen anything like this before,” said Peter Chandler, an oceanographer with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on Vancouver Island.

It’s estimated there’s a 90-per-cent chance of the El Niño lasting through the winter, said Environment Canada meteorologist Matt MacDonald, which could bring warm, dry conditions on the B.C. coast this winter.