The Earth is expected to experience five years of extreme heat as a result of the El Niño phenomenon. According to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), global temperatures between 2026 and 2030 will be up to 1.9°C higher than the average recorded a century ago. It is also expected that 2027 will surpass the record set in 2024 as the hottest year on record, due to the arrival of El Niño later this year.
The report provides a summary of forecasts from 13 institutes worldwide on a global scale. El Niño is the warm phase of the natural ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) climate cycle, characterized by an abnormal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.
It causes meteorological and climatic fluctuations worldwide. As warm waters shift toward Australia and Indonesia and later accumulate near South America, the climate becomes extremely dry in the former regions, while South America experiences heavy rainfall and widespread flooding.
North America is typically affected by warmer and drier winters, while Eurasia experiences milder winters and increased precipitation. The phenomenon usually lasts between 9 and 12 months and is followed by its opposite phase, La Niña, which is associated with significant cooling of ocean waters.