WMO sounds alarm on ‘off the charts’ El Nino
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a dire warning that the current El Nino conditions in the tropical Pacific could be the strongest ever recorded. In its latest seasonal climate outlook, the WMO stated that sea surface temperatures in the region may surge to an unprecedented 3.8 degrees Celsius above average between November 2026 and January 2027.
El Nino is declared when the sea surface temperature anomaly in this area reaches 0.5 degrees Celsius. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that this is "literally off the monitoring charts that we have used for the past four decades." She added that while the peak of El Nino is expected towards the end of 2026, its impacts will be felt long after that.
El Nino is one of three phases of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate phenomenon, characterized by changes in sea temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, along with fluctuations in the atmosphere overhead. While El Nino brings a warming effect globally, its counterpart, La Nina, typically results in cooling. ENSO also has a neutral phase.
According to the WMO, a very strong El Nino can disrupt normal temperature and rainfall patterns across many regions. This can lead to severe drought in some areas, heavy rainfall and flooding in others, and increased heat across large parts of the world.
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