Scientists make new prediction ‘Super El Niño’ might trigger hottest summer season ever with scorching temperatures
Weather experts have warned that a powerful climate pattern known as a “super El Niño” could lead to one of the hottest summers ever recorded worldwide
Boffins are warning that the world may hit record breaking temperatures this summer(Image: Getty Images)
Weather forecasters have warned that a powerful weather system called a “super El Niño” could trigger one of the hottest global summers on record, with knock-on effects not just in the US, but also across Europe and in several popular UK holiday hotspots.
The climate pattern, known as El Niño, occurs when surface waters in the Pacific Ocean increase, causing a massive heating effect of the air above them. These El Niño weather patterns have been known to massively disrupt global temperatures and cause heatwaves, droughts and storms.
And a “super El Niño” is defined as ocean temperatures rising at least four degrees above average. Current Pacific temperatures are already running around two to three degrees higher than normal, suggesting conditions are building.
Experts are forecasting a 25% chance of a “super El Niño” developing, alongside a 62% chance of a regular El Niño forming between June and August this summer, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Were this to be the case, some scientists are already predicting 2026 could become the hottest year ever recorded, surpassing recent records.
While the most dramatic impacts are often felt in the Pacific and the Americas, Europe, including the UK, is far from immune from El Niño’s effects.
El Niño years are often linked to hotter, drier summers in parts of southern Europe, raising the risk of heatwaves in destinations such as Spain, Greece and Portugal, among other major hotspots for British holidaymakers.
For the UK itself, the picture is more mixed. El Niño doesn’t directly control British weather, but it can influence wider atmospheric patterns. This can sometimes lead to warmer-than-average conditions, but also increases the risk of unstable weather, including heavy rain and thunderstorms during the summer months.
Scientists are still studying how climate change interacts with El Niño, but many believe rising global temperatures could make these events more intense.
In simple terms, when an already warming planet combines with El Niño, the result can be more extreme weather.
The last major super El Niño event occurred in 2015 and caused widespread disruption, including floods, droughts and wildfires, affecting tens of millions of people worldwide.
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