The El Niño weather phenomenon is projected to strengthen further until 2027 and could potentially become the most potent event on record, heightening the risks of extreme weather in the upcoming year, as announced by the World Meteorological Organization on Thursday.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated during a press briefing in Geneva that if the current trend persists, this El Niño event might surpass all previous observations since monitoring began, indicating unprecedented intensity.
The United Nations weather agency disclosed that its latest forecasts indicate a nearly 100% chance of El Niño persisting until February 2027, driven by notably warm Pacific Ocean temperatures. This level of certainty in the forecast is unprecedented, according to the WMO.
A robust El Niño event can significantly alter global rainfall and temperature patterns, potentially leading to extreme weather occurrences such as typhoons.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized, “El Niño is expanding rapidly. Scientific evidence unequivocally shows that our planet is entering uncharted territory, with rising sea temperatures.”
El Niño, characterized by periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific due to weakened trade winds, naturally occurs every two to seven years, typically lasting up to 12 months and causing severe weather conditions like heavy rains and droughts across Latin America.
The ongoing El Niño event has already impacted soft commodity production in tropical regions, triggering a severe food crisis in Central America’s Dry Corridor.
According to the WMO, the El Niño event is expected to peak later this year but will continue to influence weather patterns into 2027, leading to elevated global temperatures in the following year, as per Saulo.
Saulo affirmed that the WMO is enhancing preparedness and early warning initiatives to address the potential impacts of the El Niño event.
She stated, “WMO is dedicated to collaborating with partners within the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to provide essential climate information and insights to support disaster preparedness and climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, health, energy, and water resources.”
Some climate models predict that 2026 will experience a strong El Niño event. CBC’s Nick Logan explains the implications of a ‘super’ El Niño and what Canadians can anticipate.
[Source](https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/el-nino-wmo-9.7330711)