UK Met Office: El Niño Set to Be 'Strongest in Living Memory'

The UK Met Office said the developing El Niño is on track to be the most intense in over a century, with sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific already more than 2°C above normal and forecast to exceed 3°C later in 2026 — well above the typical 1-2°C rise of a major event. Prof Adam Scaife, the Met Office's head of long-range forecasting, said: 'This is an unprecedented event. I have never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our forecasts.' Met Office climate scientist Dr Nick Dunstone said 2027 is 'very likely' to replace 2024 as the warmest year on record. Ocean temperatures at 100-meter depth are running roughly 8°C above normal in places, and the Met Office linked the event to already-visible impacts including below-average Indian monsoon rains and suppressed Atlantic hurricane activity.