The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a warning regarding a strong El Niño weather event expected to intensify starting in August. The WMO stated that there is a very high probability that this weather event will push global temperatures above seasonal norms and significantly alter precipitation patterns.
El Niño, which refers to the warming of the ocean surface or above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and occurs every few years, is projected to steadily strengthen through October.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized in a statement that wars and instability are not the only factors threatening humanity. Guterres stated that El Niño is rapidly escalating into a new crisis that will disrupt lives and livelihoods on a global scale, adding: "The Pacific waters driving El Niño have never been this warm so early in an El Niño event, and temperatures are still rising. Recent reports indicate that sea surface temperatures across key monitoring regions average roughly 3 degrees above normal."
The World Food Programme (WFP), another UN agency, announced that a severe El Niño weather event could push approximately 49 million people living in the world's most vulnerable regions into deeper food insecurity by the end of next year. This data indicates that the number of people facing acute food insecurity could rise by 22% (roughly 49 million people) in addition to the population already experiencing severe food insecurity, bringing the total figure to 274 million people.
August 21, 2026
