{
  "id": 9008627,
  "title": "El Nino ties record intensity: What 3.07°C Pacific warming means for weather from Central America to Indonesia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/el-nino-ties-record-intensity-what-3-07-c-pacific-warming-means-for",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-21T20:56:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/world/el-nino-ties-record-intensity-what-3-07-c-pacific-warming-means-for-weather-from-central-america-to-indonesia-11790019836871.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The current El Nino weather pattern has reached the highest recorded intensity, with effects being felt across Central America and Indonesia. According to climatologist Zeke Hausfather, the sea surface temperature anomaly in the tropical Pacific has reached 3.07°C, matching the level from the 2015-2016 El Nino. This anomaly is expected to peak in September unless there's an unexpected change. The figure is derived from NOAA's sea surface temperature data, collected using satellites and buoys, analyzing daily temperatures in the Nino 3.4 region of the Pacific against a 30-year average. Meanwhile, NOAA has introduced the Relative Oceanic Nino Index (RONI), which compares Nino 3.4 warming with warming across the wider tropical belt, accounting for broader ocean warming due to climate change. Currently, the El Nino remains below the previous record via RONI, though scientists anticipate it could surpass it. El Nino is the warm phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, a natural climate cycle in the Pacific. It occurs when trade winds weaken, allowing warm water to move eastward and rise to the surface. This can alter rainfall, storms, and atmospheric circulation far beyond the Pacific, bringing hotter and drier conditions to some areas and cooler, wetter conditions to others. Climate change may intensify some El Nino effects. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, potentially making El Nino-linked rainfall heavier, while increased drying can worsen drought conditions in regions already receiving less rain. The current El Nino is already impacting communities and ecosystems. In Central America, drought has contributed to animal deaths and crop damage, while water shortages are affecting the Panama Canal, a critical international shipping route. Authorities have had to limit the number of ships passing through the canal due to water shortages. In Indonesia, El Nino-linked drought has fueled wildfires across the archipelago.",
  "summary": "El Nino has matched the strongest level recorded on a widely used measure, with Pacific sea surface temperatures 3.07C above average. Its effects are already being felt through drought, wildfires and water shortages across several regions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}