El Niño 'Supersized': WMO Issues Its Most Urgent Warning in 50 Years

The World Meteorological Organisation declared on 3 September 2026 a nearly 100 per cent likelihood that a very strong El Niño will persist through February 2027, marking its most unequivocal forecast in fifty years and warning of record global heat. The event, already underway, has seen Pacific surface temperatures reach 2.2 to 2.6 degrees Celsius above normal, with subsurface waters over 8 degrees warmer, placing it alongside the fierce episodes of 1997 and 2015. UN officials called the situation "uncharted waters," with above-normal temperatures expected across almost all land areas. For India, the withdrawing south-west monsoon limits immediate damage, but a weaker north-east monsoon threatens winter rains for rabi crops like wheat and mustard. The natural cycle compounds with climate change, potentially pushing global temperatures into unprecedented territory.