WMO warns El Niño to hit 'very strong' level through Feb 2026

Back in October 2025, the World Meteorological Organization warned that El Niño was firmly established and would intensify to a 'very strong' level—the highest category—through February 2026, with peak impacts expected late that year. The agency said there was an exceptionally high likelihood of nearly 100 percent that the phenomenon would persist through February, driving above-normal temperatures across almost all land areas and altering rainfall patterns worldwide, raising risks of floods, droughts and extreme heat. WMO chief Celeste Saulo said the exceptional El Niño had the potential to deliver a 'massive blow to communities and economies,' noting already visible devastation from droughts and floods and urging disaster management authorities and climate‑sensitive sectors like agriculture, health, energy and water to prepare immediately. UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres added that 'El Niño is being supersized before our eyes,' warning that the planet is in uncharted waters as rising sea surface temperatures amplify weather extremes on a world already warming from fossil‑fuel burning. Although El Niño is a natural climate cycle that occurs every two to seven years, scientists expect it to exacerbate the heat of a warming planet, with subsurface ocean temperatures recorded more than 8°C above average during mid‑2025. The WMO noted that while the event would peak toward the end of 2025, its knock‑on effects on global temperatures would continue well into 2027. With forecasts of intense El Niño‑driven heat and rainfall shifts, how might you adjust your farming, water usage, or disaster preparedness plans to cope with potential floods, droughts or extreme temperatures?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/09/03/el-nino-to-be-very-strong-lasts-until-february-2027-un-warns/