GENEVA — The United Nations’ weather agency on Friday urged governments and humanitarian organizations to prepare for increasingly severe weather linked to the strengthening El Niño climate pattern, warning of heightened risks of heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall in the coming months.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said current El Niño conditions have already developed and are expected to intensify rapidly between July and September, with the phenomenon typically reaching its peak between November and February.
The agency said it has activated climate information services and early warning systems to help governments and aid agencies prepare response plans aimed at protecting farmers and vulnerable communities from the expected impacts.
“El Niño conditions are already underway and are forecast to strengthen rapidly into a strong event, exactly as predicted by the WMO,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement.
She warned that the evolving climate pattern would increase the likelihood of drought, torrential rainfall and dangerous heatwaves across both land and ocean regions in many parts of the world.
Saulo stressed that improved seasonal forecasting and early warning systems remain essential for saving lives and reducing the economic and social consequences of extreme weather.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It disrupts global wind, pressure and rainfall patterns, with impacts varying widely across different regions.
The phenomenon typically occurs every two to seven years and usually lasts between nine and 12 months. It alternates with its cooler counterpart, La Niña, as part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, although extreme weather can occur even during neutral ENSO conditions.
On Thursday, the WMO reported that global ocean temperatures reached a record high for June, driven in part by the developing El Niño. The previous El Niño contributed to 2023 becoming the second-warmest year on record, while 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded, with global temperatures averaging about 1.55 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
