El Nino Watch: the impacts around the world this week
Experts say it could help make 2027 the hottest year on record
An exceptionally powerful El Nino is causing disruptions to weather systems worldwide, raising concerns about food security and the possibility of 2026 being the second-hottest year on record, according to experts. The current El Nino event could be unprecedented in its intensity. Since the beginning of modern record-keeping, only three other El Nino events have been as strong as this one, occurring in 2015-16, 1997-98, and 1982-83.
The 2026-27 El Nino is expected to peak with an anomaly of 3.8°C. This El Nino is turbocharging human-driven global warming, according to the European Union’s climate monitor. October has continued to see remarkable global warmth, with record global and surface ocean temperatures, according to Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Despite an El Nino's potential to exacerbate global warming, it does not guarantee poor monsoon seasons, as seven Indian monsoons since 1950 have encountered a moderate or strong El Nino, with rainfall levels in five of those years being at least 10% lower than the long-term average. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared a state of emergency in Peru due to the imminent danger posed by El Nino-linked flooding.
More than nine million people, nearly a third of the country's population, are at high risk of flooding and landslides. While parts of Asia are experiencing drought due to El Nino's impact on temperature and rainfall, Sri Lanka's state-owned electricity company has withdrawn a proposed price increase, citing heavy rain from El Nino that has improved hydro reservoir storage.
However, Sri Lanka is expected to face severe drought conditions in the first half of 2027, which may force authorities to rely on more expensive thermal generation. The Philippines has allocated over $980 million for an "El Nino response plan" to mitigate the impact of the climate risk on agriculture, a sector that accounts for about 8% of the country's GDP and employs one in four Filipinos.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
