UK Met Office: 2026 El Niño on track to be most intense in over a century

The UK Met Office forecasts the 2026 El Niño will be the most intense in over a century. Pacific sea surface temperatures already sit 3C above the long-term average and are projected to peak at a 3.9C anomaly in November — nearly double the 2.6C peak of the strong 2015–16 event. El Niño is typically declared at 0.5C above average.