El Niño's Arrival May Push Summer Temperatures to New Highs
WHO:
AP News - Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth.
AP News - Former top NASA climate scientist James Hansen.
AP News - Climate scientist Zachary Labe from Climate Central.
AP News - Samantha Burgess, global strategic lead at Copernicus climate service.
AP News - Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer.
WHAT:
The Guardian - About 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year due to the rapidly developing El Niño weather system.
The Guardian - The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the forecast El Niño could add more than a fifth to the 225 million people currently in acute food insecurity across 45 countries.
The Guardian - The WFP has budgeted at least $80 million for early warning systems and anticipatory relief efforts to mitigate the effects of extreme weather.
The Guardian - The main growing season in southern Africa stretches from October this year to March 2027, with the worst impacts of food insecurity expected during the 2027 to 2028 lean season.
AP News - Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather calculated a 35% chance that 2026 will surpass 2024 as the hottest year on record, up from only 7% in March.
AP News - NOAA monitoring chief Russell Vose stated that the odds of 2026 being the fourth hottest year will rise when NOAA finishes its analysis from July.
CNN - The ongoing El Niño is predicted to peak in intensity and continue through the winter and potentially well into 2027.
CNN - Record warm global sea surface temperatures have been in place for at least two months.
CNN - Nearly every spot on the globe is projected to have above-average temperatures from August through October.
AP News - A strengthening El Niño is forecast to spike global temperatures and warp weather patterns.
AP News - 2026 is currently the third-hottest year on record, behind 2024 and 2025.
AP News - There is a 35% chance that 2026 will surpass 2024 as the hottest year on record.
AP News - About 82% of the world’s ocean surface is experiencing marine heat waves.
AP News - NOAA forecasted a 66% chance that 2026 would be the fourth hottest year.
AP News - El Niño is expected to be the strongest in history.
WHERE:
AP News - North America and Europe are experiencing wildfires and heat waves.
AP News - Drought conditions are affecting the Danube River in Rasova, Romania.
AP News - Heat waves are reported in Europe, North America, and India.
WHEN:
AP News - The world’s daily sea surface temperature has been record hot since June.
AP News - An exceptional heat wave occurred in Europe in May, with additional heat waves in June and July.
WHY:
The Guardian - The impacts of the El Niño are being strongly affected by the climate crisis, exacerbating existing hunger issues due to years of drought and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran.
CNN - UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated, “El Niño is strengthening — adding fuel to a planet already on fire.”
AP News - The current summer heat is attributed to human-caused climate change rather than El Niño.
AP News - Traditional industrial pollution that cools the planet is decreasing, contributing to warming.
HOW:
AP News - El Niño releases pent-up heat in the ocean, exacerbated by greenhouse gases trapping heat.
AP News - Climate scientists note that there is a lag of about a month and a half between ocean heat and global average temperature changes.
(UPDATED August 5, 2026 18:26 UTC)
About 50 million people are expected to face acute hunger before the end of next year, largely due to the rapidly developing El Niño weather system. The UN’s World Food Programme warns that this phenomenon could increase the number of people in acute food insecurity by more than a fifth, adding to the current total of 225 million across 45 countries. To address these challenges, the WFP has allocated at least $80 million for early warning systems and anticipatory relief efforts, as the main growing season in southern Africa runs from October this year to March 2027, with the most severe impacts anticipated during the 2027 to 2028 lean season.
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(UPDATED August 5, 2026 08:22 UTC)
Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather has calculated a 35% chance that 2026 will surpass 2024 as the hottest year on record, a significant increase from just 7% in March. NOAA monitoring chief Russell Vose noted that the odds of 2026 being the fourth hottest year will rise once their analysis from July is complete. With the ongoing El Niño expected to peak in intensity and continue through the winter and potentially into 2027, nearly every location on Earth is projected to experience above-average temperatures from August through October, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to remark that “El Niño is strengthening — adding fuel to a planet already on fire.”
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(UPDATED August 5, 2026 05:10 UTC)
A strengthening El Niño is forecast to spike global temperatures and warp weather patterns, with climate scientists warning that 2026 is currently the third-hottest year on record, just behind 2024 and 2025. About 82% of the world’s ocean surface is experiencing marine heat waves, and there is a 35% chance that this year will surpass 2024 as the hottest year ever recorded. North America and Europe are facing wildfires and heat waves, while drought conditions are impacting the Danube River in Romania, all attributed to human-caused climate change and exacerbated by the effects of El Niño.