El Nino will intensify, then peak in December: UN
El Nino will intensify even more before peaking in December, the United Nations said Thursday, warning it could be among the strongest witnessed since at least 1950. The naturally occurring weather phenomenon is set to bring higher temperatures to much of the planet, the UN’s weather and climate agency said, with its impact compounding the effects of man-made climate change. “El Nino will…
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.
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