UN Warns of Very Strong El Niño with Impacts Extending into 2027
22 sources across 14 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- G1
- CNN Brasil
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- The Guardian
- The Independent
- BBC News
- Tempo English
- The Jakarta Post
- Rappler
- Philippine Daily Inquirer
- La Nacion
- El Espectador
- Le Monde Afrique
- Telex
- ANSA
- Dawn
- Al Jazeera
- El Pais
- WIRED
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that the current El Niño is set to intensify into a very strong event, with a nearly 100 percent probability that the phenomenon will persist through February 2027. The UN climate agency stated that the event will peak toward the end of 2026, though its knock on impacts on global climate patterns are expected to continue well into 2027. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the event as being supersized before our eyes, stating that the planet is in uncharted waters and a danger zone of extreme weather.
Data shows that sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific are significantly above average. Weekly values between late July and mid August ranged from 2.2C to 2.6C above normal, while some subsurface ocean temperatures were recorded at more than 8C above average. WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo noted that this episode could be more powerful than anything observed since monitoring began four decades ago. She warned that the phenomenon has the potential to deliver a massive blow to global economies and communities, specifically affecting agriculture, health, energy, and water sectors.
While El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon and not caused by climate change, scientists expect it to exacerbate the heating of a planet already warming from the burning of fossil fuels. The WMO forecasts an increased likelihood of above normal temperatures across almost all land areas from September to November. Expected impacts include droughts in parts of the Amazon, Indonesia, and Australia, as well as disrupted monsoons in India and intense flooding in South America and East Africa.
Some reports highlight immediate extreme weather linked to the phenomenon, including a rare occurrence of three simultaneous hurricanes in the Pacific, including storms named Marie, Lowell, and Karina. In response, several Latin American countries, including Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and El Salvador, have declared states of emergency to prepare for the impacts.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the intersection of the natural phenomenon with the human caused climate crisis and the resulting humanitarian risks.
- Centre
- These outlets focused primarily on the technical data, the UN's official warnings, and the general global risks.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the economic threats and the specific emergency measures being taken by national governments to mitigate disaster.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Climate, for the UN the 'planet is in grave danger'
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: UN warns El Nino could be ‘off the charts’, strongest in decades
- Centre BBC News: UN warns of 'supersized' El Niño as countries prepare for impact
- Centre CNN Brasil: UN predicts very strong El Niño, warns of extremes and projects peak in 2026
- Centre-left Dawn: 'World in danger zone': UN says El Nino likely to intensify, may become strongest ever recorded
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Climate crisis: UN warns of El Niño with "super dimensions"
- Centre Deutsche Welle: 'Supersized' El Nino could be strongest on record, UN says
- Centre-left El Espectador: We explain the new data on the El Niño phenomenon
- Centre-left El Pais: 'El Niño' will reach its peak at the end of the year and will extend until February: "It is acquiring enormous proportions before our eyes"
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: El Niño is 'firmly established' and gains 'exceptional dimension', says UN
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Climate phenomenon El Niño: World weather agency announces historic storm risks
- Centre-left G1: 'El Niño of gigantic proportions': the UN alert for a phenomenon that puts the planet in 'unknown waters'
- Centre-right La Nacion: The UN confirmed that El Niño will be the strongest ever recorded: its effects toward the summer in South America
- Centre-left Le Monde Afrique: El Niño: UN predicts a "very high intensity" phenomenon until February 2027
- Centre Philippine Daily Inquirer: ‘Very strong,’ El Niño to last until February, UN warns
- Centre-left Rappler: ‘Supersized’ El Niño may become strongest ever recorded, UN says
- Centre Telex: The warming El Niño could last until February 2027
- Centre-left Tempo English: WMO: Strengthening El Nino Raises Flood, Drought Risks
- Centre-left The Guardian: ‘Supersizing before our eyes’: UN warns of record El Niño approaching
- Centre-left The Independent: Experts predict El Nino’s dramatic impact on UK weather this winter
- Centre-left The Jakarta Post: El Nino to be 'very strong', last until February, UN warns
- Centre-left WIRED: The 2026 El Niño Is Being ‘Supersized’ as Impacts Worsen
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.