Floods, Droughts, Heatwaves Loom As ‘Supersized’ El Niño Threatens Global Weather — UN

Floods, droughts and heatwaves are looming across the world as a “supersized” El Niño intensifies, pushing the planet into an extreme weather danger zone, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has warned.

Guterres said the climate phenomenon, which is expected to reach very strong levels later in 2026, was already raising the risks of extreme weather events as temperatures and ocean heat continue to climb.

“El Niño is being supersized before our eyes. The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up,” he said.

The UN chief warned that the intensifying phenomenon could worsen floods, droughts and heatwaves in vulnerable communities, with potentially severe consequences for food security, public health, livelihoods and economies.

“The race now is between rising risks and our commitment to take climate action and protect people. We must win that race,” Guterres said.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said El Niño was firmly established and expected to intensify to the “very strong” category, with the phenomenon likely to peak towards the end of 2026 and its effects potentially extending into 2027.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that the development could have far-reaching consequences.

“This exceptional El Niño has the potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world,” Saulo said.

She noted that droughts and floods were already disrupting communities in different parts of the world and warned that the situation could worsen as El Niño strengthens.

Saulo urged disaster-management agencies, as well as the agriculture, health, energy and water sectors, to prepare for the expected impacts.

“There is no time to lose,” she said.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon characterised by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. While it is not caused by climate change, the WMO said climate change can amplify its effects and contribute to more extreme temperatures.

The phenomenon typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts between nine and 12 months. Its opposite phase is known as La Niña, while periods between the two are considered neutral.

According to the WMO, El Niño can trigger weather disruptions far beyond the Pacific, including droughts in parts of the Amazon, Indonesia and Australia, changes in monsoon patterns in India and shifts in rainfall across tropical regions.

The organisation’s September-November outlook indicates above-normal temperatures across almost all land areas, alongside rainfall patterns consistent with a strong Pacific El Niño.

The central and eastern Pacific recorded sea-surface temperatures about 1.5 degrees Celsius above average between May and July, while weekly anomalies between late July and mid-August reached about 2.2 to 2.6 degrees Celsius.

Subsurface ocean temperatures were also more than 8 degrees Celsius above average in some areas in July and early August, underscoring the strength of the developing event.

The WMO classifies El Niño episodes as weak, moderate, strong or very strong, with the current phenomenon expected to reach the highest category.