El Nino will intensify before its peak in December, says UN
The weather phenomenon is already hitting some regions hard, including in Central America, where animals and crops are dying from drought.
The United Nations predicts that the El Nino weather phenomenon will intensify in the coming months before reaching its peak in December, according to a recent forecast. The WMO, the UN's weather and climate agency, warns that this could be one of the strongest El Ninos observed since at least 1950. El Nino is a naturally occurring weather event that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, leading to shifts in winds, pressure, and rainfall patterns worldwide.
The WMO's Global Seasonal Climate Update states that El Nino is expected to bring above-average temperatures to much of the globe and increase the risk of drought and floods in various regions. Sea-surface temperatures in the affected region have already reached record levels, with forecasts indicating they will continue to climb to approximately 3.7°C above normal during October-November-December 2026.
This would surpass the previous record of 2.6°C set in 2015-2016. The WMO chief, Celeste Saulo, emphasizes that El Nino does not add new heat to the planet but rather releases stored heat from the ocean, which is the warmest on record.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
