Climate
UN and US agencies project this El Niño could be the strongest since 1950
October 8, 2026 at 02:04 PM
UN and US weather agencies project this season's super El Niño may become the strongest recorded since 1950.
- WMO said the El Niño will continue to intensify before reaching its expected peak in December.
- WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said forecasts show a near-100 percent chance El Niño persists into February 2027, likely among the strongest since 1950.
- NOAA raised to 83 percent, from 75 percent, the chance this El Niño exceeds all intensities recorded since 1950.
- The WMO's sea-surface temperature anomaly index rose from 1.6°C above normal in June to 2.5°C in August.