Strong El Niño ahead, UN weather agency warns

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🗞️ Driving the news: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that a strong El Niño event is developing and is expected to intensify between August and October 2026, increasing the likelihood of major shifts in global weather patterns
• The UN agency forecasts above-average temperatures worldwide, with some regions facing increased rainfall while others experience heightened drought risks

🔭 The context: El Niño is a natural climate pattern caused by unusual warming of Pacific Ocean waters, influencing weather systems across the globe
• The WMO said this event is developing alongside record ocean temperatures and ongoing global warming
• Forecast models indicate that sea-surface temperature anomalies in key monitoring regions could exceed 2.9°C
• The organisation is using seasonal forecasts to support governments, humanitarian agencies and climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and health in preparing for potential impacts.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: A stronger El Niño can amplify climate extremes, affecting ecosystems, water availability, food production and biodiversity
• Combined with human-driven warming, it can worsen heatwaves, droughts, floods and wildfire conditions
• The event highlights how natural climate variability is increasingly interacting with a warmer planet, increasing pressure on ecosystems already stressed by rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns

⏭️ What’s next: Governments and communities are being encouraged to use early warning systems and climate forecasts to prepare for possible impacts

💬 One quote: “El Niño is one of the most closely monitored climate phenomena in the world, but forecasts in themselves do not prevent hazards, people do.” — Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization

📈 One stat: Forecasts indicate that sea-surface temperature anomalies in key El Niño monitoring regions could exceed 2.9°C above average during the developing event

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