El Niño on course to shatter all-time record as ocean logs 100 days of extreme heat
Scientists said the eastern Pacific has reached record warmth, raising the risk of stronger drought, wildfire and food-security impacts worldwide.
- On Saturday, September 19, Pacific sea surface temperatures reached 3.07°C above average, tying the 2015 record months ahead of the expected peak, according to climatologist Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth.
- El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation , develops when Pacific trade winds weaken, allowing warm water to shift eastward. Human-caused climate change is amplifying this natural cycle, scientists report, intensifying risks from extreme heat.
- Drought conditions are devastating crops across Central America while over 160,000 residents in Sri Lanka lack adequate drinking water. Low reservoir levels forced Panama Canal authorities to slash traffic, threatening 5% of global trade.
- Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane with 180 mph winds off Mexico on September 22. The World Health Organization branded the pattern a "significant public health threat," urging immediate action to prevent loss of life.
- Meteorologists anticipate the event will peak toward the end of 2026, potentially pushing 2027 to record heat levels. Experts warn these trends threaten the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C threshold, increasing risks of extreme weather into the coming year.
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234 Articles
‘Gobsmackingly bananas’ El Niño shatters global records
By now, you’ve seen the headlines, and there’s more of them every day: It’s “jaw-dropping.” It’s poised to make global warming worse. California has just declared a statewide state of emergency. This year’s El Niño — a shift in Pacific Ocean trade winds that scrambles global weather patterns — has been hotly discussed as one of the strongest on record, and one that could bring about potentially disastrous consequences. One study projects that it…
El Niño nicknamed "Godzilla is continuing to intensify, and temperatures on the surface of the equatorial Pacific Ocean have already exceeded the levels recorded during previous episodes. Specialists warn that the current phenomenon could become one of the strongest ever observed, with effects on temperatures, precipitation and agriculture in many regions of the world.
Scientists Call This Year's El Niño 'Godzilla' as It Could Be the Strongest in 1,000 Years Yet
Scientists say this year's unusually powerful El Niño could become the strongest in 1,000 years, but its eventual scale remains uncertain as ocean temperatures continue rising
Scientists have announced that a 'Godzilla' version of El Niño, which disrupts the climate balance, will cause massive destruction. Experts have stated that at least 450,000 people will lose their lives in these natural events.
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