El Niño has reached record ocean temperatures and is being described by scientists as unprecedented, with its peak still expected in December.
01Summary
- 01Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said average weekly sea-surface temperatures in the central Pacific have reached their highest level on record.
- 02Daily sea-surface temperatures in the central-eastern Pacific set a new record in September, beating the mark from the very strong 2015 El Niño.
- 03Temperatures above 30C have been recorded for the first time in parts of the tropical Pacific, alongside record anomalies and exceptional subsurface warmth.
- 04Scientists say the event now extends beyond the usual El Niño monitoring region and compares with major events in 1972-73, 1982-83, 1997-98 and 2015-16.
- 05The World Meteorological Organisation says impacts are already being reported in several regions, with growing concerns over food security in East Africa and the Asia-Pacific.
02Why it matters
The event is already affecting weather patterns, with drought, flooding and hurricane activity reported or expected in different regions. It also matters because scientists say the extra ocean heat could help make 2026 one of the warmest years on record.
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