Powerful El Nino to intensify heat on ‘a planet already on fire’: UN

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that a rapidly intensifying El Nino event is expected to cause extreme weather globally in the coming months. This phenomenon threatens to increase the risk of heatwaves, drought, and flooding worldwide, exacerbating existing challenges like wildfires in Africa and Europe and monsoon havoc in South Asia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that El Nino is strengthening and adding to a planet already experiencing high temperatures. He urged nations to accelerate climate action, specifically calling for an immediate halt to new fossil fuel projects, which he identified as a core driver amplifying the crisis. The WMO projects above-normal temperatures across most land areas, with significant heat signals in Africa, southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, East Asia, and South America.

A strengthening El Niño weather system is poised to bring hotter, drier conditions globally, potentially impacting India's monsoon. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned this phenomenon is "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and pushing the world into "uncharted territory." The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) forecasts higher global temperatures from August to October, with increased rainfall in some regions and drought in others. India faces a heightened risk of below-normal rainfall, increasing drought, flood, and wildfire dangers. Scientists attribute this intensified El Niño to the climate crisis, with unprecedented ocean heat contributing to its strength. The WMO urges governments to prepare for the anticipated heat, drought, and potential floods.

United Nations officials and scientists are warning that a strengthening El Nino, already at record intensity for its early stages, will exacerbate extreme weather globally. This natural warming of the Pacific Ocean, which warps weather patterns, is expected to peak later and last through spring 2027, bringing more extreme heat, drought, and rainfall. The World Meteorological Organization cautioned that El Nino's effects will combine with human-caused global warming, leading to potentially unprecedented heat and chaotic weather extremes worldwide. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the world is in "uncharted territory" and urged action to address the accelerating climate crisis. The WMO highlighted that this El Nino offers an opportunity for governments and communities to anticipate and act on risks.