The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the El Niño weather pattern is expected to worsen through 2027 and could potentially become the most powerful on record, leading to increased chances of severe weather events in the coming year. Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated that if the current trend continues, this El Niño could surpass any previously observed in the last four decades.
According to the United Nations weather agency, there is a nearly certain probability that El Niño will persist until February 2027 due to unusually high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. This level of certainty is unprecedented in their forecasts. A strong El Niño has the potential to disrupt global rainfall and temperature patterns and contribute to extreme weather phenomena such as typhoons.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the significant impact of the expanding El Niño, stressing that the planet is entering uncharted territory with rising temperatures. El Niño occurs naturally every two to seven years, causing sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific to rise, leading to prolonged periods of heavy rainfall and droughts in Latin America.
The ongoing El Niño has already affected agricultural production in tropical regions, resulting in a severe food crisis in Central America’s Dry Corridor. The WMO predicts that the El Niño event will peak later this year but will continue to influence global temperatures into 2027. In response, the WMO is enhancing its preparedness and early warning systems to mitigate the potential impacts of the phenomenon.
Secretary-General Saulo emphasized the organization’s commitment to collaborating with UN partners and the humanitarian sector to provide essential climate information for disaster management and climate-sensitive industries like agriculture, health, energy, and water resources.
For more insights on the implications of a ‘super’ El Niño, you can watch the explanatory video provided in the article.