2026 is set to be the world’s hottest year

The year 2026 could be the warmest in world history, said Carlo Buontempo, director of the European Union's (EU) climate monitoring agency Copernicus, due to the strong 'Super El Niño' in the Pacific Ocean.

He told AFP on Monday (October 12) that if past El Niño patterns continue, a new temperature record could be set in 2026. There is also a risk of a new record in 2027.

El Niño is a natural warming phase of the climate cycle, during which the temperature of the water in the tropical Pacific Ocean temporarily increases. This can lead to changes in weather patterns, increasing the risk of drought and flooding. It can also intensify the effects of global warming caused by human activities.

Copernicus said that in the Pacific Ocean, the key El Niño monitoring region, Nino 3.4, sea surface temperatures reached 29.70 degrees Celsius in September, the highest temperature on record for the region. This was not seen in the previous strong El Niño events of 1982-83, 1997-98 and 2015-16.

The current El Niño began in June of this year. But it's too early to say whether this is the strongest El Niño on record, Buontempo said. He said that ocean temperatures are rising due to climate change, making it difficult to compare recent El Niños with past events.

Copernicus said that in the Pacific Ocean, the key El Niño monitoring region, Nino 3.4, sea surface temperatures reached 29.70 degrees Celsius in September, the highest temperature on record for the region. This was not seen in the previous strong El Niño events of 1982-83, 1997-98 and 2015-16.

The current El Niño began in June of this year. But it's too early to say whether this is the strongest El Niño on record, Buontempo said. He said that ocean temperatures are rising due to climate change, making it difficult to compare recent El Niños with past events.

Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Friday that El Niño conditions had reached their highest intensity on record. However, different forecasting agencies do not use the same indicators to determine El Niño intensity.