Super El Niño bursts through temperature record months ahead of peak
4 hours ago
- The current El Niño has set a new record high temperature of 3.05°C at its core in the Pacific Ocean, surpassing the previous record of 3.02°C set in 2015.
- The preferred ONI metric is just 0.01°C below the 2015 record, with both measures based on NOAA data.
- Forecasts predict the El Niño could peak at 4.0°C in November or December, a level described as 'mind-blowing' and 'Godzilla-level', far exceeding previous events.
- This is likely the largest El Niño in at least 1,000 years, and combined with human-caused global heating, is expected to make 2027 the hottest year on record.
- The El Niño is already causing severe impacts worldwide, including record wildfires in Indonesia, reduced monsoons in India, drought in Central America and the Caribbean, and risks of acute hunger for about 50 million people.
- Scientists warn that the climate crisis is amplifying El Niño effects, leading to more intense heat extremes, flooding, and economic losses, with potential global damages exceeding $5.7 trillion from the 1997-98 super El Niño.