UN Predicts Record-Setting El Niño Could Transform Global Weather Patterns
By Editor • September 3, 2026 • 2 min read
The United Nations is sounding the alarm over the potential intensity of the El Niño weather phenomenon, predicting it may become the strongest in recorded history. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has indicated that El Niño conditions are expected to intensify significantly, with forecasts suggesting it will persist until February 2027.
WMO chief Celeste Saulo warned that current trends could lead to a phenomenon that surpasses anything observed in the last 40 years. "If this trajectory continues, it may be stronger than anything since our monitoring began — literally off the charts," she stated in Geneva.
El Niño, characterized by warmer surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, disrupts global weather patterns, affecting winds, rainfall, and pressure systems. The WMO forecasts that this year's El Niño will peak towards the end of 2023, with far-reaching consequences for global temperatures and climate conditions into 2024 and beyond.
Saulo highlighted the potential for this event to exacerbate existing extreme weather conditions, warning that communities and economies across the globe may face substantial challenges. She urged disaster management authorities and sectors sensitive to climate shifts, such as agriculture and health, to prepare for the impending impacts.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed these concerns, stating, "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 emphasized that the combination of El Niño and ongoing climate change could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Traditionally, El Niño occurs every two to seven years and lasts around nine to twelve months, impacting weather patterns thousands of kilometers away. During the current event, scientists have noted that sea surface temperatures in the Pacific have reached alarming levels, with anomalies averaging between 1.5C to 2.6C above normal.
As El Niño conditions continue to develop, the WMO predicts widespread above-normal temperatures will affect nearly all land areas, along with classic rainfall patterns associated with strong El Niño events. The message is clear: preparation is critical as the world braces for potentially unprecedented climatic shifts.
Source: www.abc.net.au
