El Niño set to be 'strongest in living memory', says Met Office
The UK Met Office has warned that a developing El Niño event in the Pacific is likely to be the strongest in living memory. This climate phenomenon, compounded by human-induced climate change, is expected to drive global temperatures to record highs and disrupt weather patterns worldwide.
Why it matters
The intensity of this event poses significant risks for extreme weather, agricultural stability, and global temperature records, necessitating urgent climate monitoring.
Image source, Agung Parameswara/Getty Images Image caption, Indonesia experienced widespread drought caused by El Niño in 2015
The El Niño event that is developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest in living memory, the Met Office has warned.
The powerful natural climate phenomenon pushes up global temperatures and can increase the risks of extreme weather.
Added to the effects of human-induced climate change, the Met Office is warning that it is "very likely" to mean 2027 is the hottest year on record.
There is growing evidence that weather patterns around the world are already being affected, with below-average monsoon rains in India and suppressed hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean.
El Niño could put the UK at greater risk of a wet, stormy autumn.
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