Record-breaking El Niño reaches unprecedented ocean temperatures

A record-breaking El Niño event is currently unfolding, with ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific reaching unprecedented levels. On September 21, sea surface temperatures in the region were recorded at 3.08 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 average, surpassing the previous record of 3.02 degrees Celsius set in November 2015.

Climatologists warn that this phenomenon could intensify further before reaching its peak in the coming months. The extreme heat release from the ocean is expected to disrupt global atmospheric circulation, potentially triggering severe droughts, floods, heatwaves, and violent storms.

Using 13 dynamical climate models, climatologist Zeke Hausfather has mapped projected impacts, highlighting vast areas at risk of extreme precipitation anomalies. Scientists note that human-induced climate change may interact with this super El Niño to produce unprecedented weather patterns, though the exact nature of the impacts remains difficult to predict with certainty.