The El Niño weather phenomenon is expected to strengthen further until 2027 and might become the most powerful on record, heightening the possibility of extreme weather conditions next year, as stated by the World Meteorological Organization on Thursday during a news conference in Geneva. The Secretary-General of the WMO, Celeste Saulo, mentioned that if the current trend persists, this El Niño event could surpass any recorded in the past four decades, indicating an unprecedented intensity. The WMO highlighted a nearly 100% probability that El Niño will persist until February 2027, driven by abnormally warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. This level of certainty is a first for the organization. An intense El Niño event can lead to significant alterations in global rainfall and temperature patterns, potentially fueling extreme weather events such as typhoons.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the remarkable intensification of El Niño, underscoring the undeniable impact of the phenomenon on global climate conditions. El Niño occurs cyclically due to elevated sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific caused by weakening trade winds, with a frequency ranging from every two to seven years, typically lasting up to 12 months and causing severe weather fluctuations across Latin America.
This year’s El Niño has already affected agricultural production in tropical regions, resulting in a severe food shortage in Central America’s Dry Corridor. The WMO projected that the El Niño event is expected to reach its peak by the end of this year, with lingering effects throughout 2027, leading to elevated global temperatures. Secretary-General Saulo affirmed the WMO’s enhanced readiness and early warning initiatives to mitigate the potential impact of the intensifying El Niño event.
Moreover, the WMO is collaborating closely with various UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to provide vital climate information and insights necessary for disaster management and climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, health, energy, and water resources. The organization aims to support proactive measures to address the challenges posed by the escalating El Niño event.
