Super El Niño could make 2027 hottest year on record

Scientists are warning that a powerful El Niño event is developing in the Pacific Ocean and could push global temperatures to new highs, with 2027 emerging as a leading candidate to become the warmest year ever recorded. Long-range climate forecasts indicate that warming waters across the central and eastern tropical Pacific are on track to develop into a strong El Niño during the second half of 2026. Several forecasting models suggest the event could reach the level known as a super El Niño, a phenomenon seen only a handful of times in recent decades.