- News from: the World Meteorological Organization –
The World Meteorological Organization has released a new seasonal climate outlook which indicates that the current El Niño event could be unprecedented in strength.
The Global Seasonal Climate Update forecasts that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific – the epicentre of El Niño – may rise to 3.8°C above average during November 2026 to January 2027. WMO declares an El Niño when the sea surface temperature anomaly in this region is 0.5 °C.
“This is literally off the monitoring charts that we have used for the past four decades. El Niño will peak towards the end of 2026 but its impacts will be felt long after that,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said.
A very strong El Niño disrupts normal temperature and rainfall patterns across many regions. It can bring severe drought to some regions, heavy rainfall and flooding to others, and increased heat across large parts of the world. We are already witnessing extreme weather events and expect these to multiply – and cascade – as El Niño intensifies.
“But a powerful El Niño does not have to be a recipe for humanitarian disaster. We have the science, the forecasts and the early warning systems to save lives and protect livelihoods. What we need now is decisive action, especially to protect the most vulnerable communities,” Celeste Saulo told a joint press conference with Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Web page Global Seasonal Climate Update for November-December-January 2026 HERE.
Source: Scimex
