World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Warns 2026 El Niño Is 'Supersized' as Impacts Worsen

Key facts

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted a 'nearly 100% likelihood' that the current El Niño will persist through February.
• The WMO stated that its update is the first unequivocal El Niño/La Niña forecast in the organization's history.
• The 2026 El Niño is expected to be the strongest on record by a wide margin.
• El Niño is defined by warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, disrupting global weather patterns.
• The event has already contributed to the hottest summer on record in the United States.
• Drought linked to El Niño has exacerbated the hunger crisis in Sudan and caused water rationing in Puerto Rico.
• The El Niño is expected to raise global average temperatures by 0.1–0.2 degrees Celsius, compounding human-induced warming.
• The United Nations warned that global warming is likely to cross 1.5 degrees Celsius in the coming years.