Overview
- Satellite analyses from the Copernicus Sentinel fleet and NASA show that an El Niño has begun in the equatorial Pacific and is continuing to strengthen as of mid-June.
- Surface-temperature records for the tropical Pacific now exceed all measurements since 1981, and satellites also detect measurable sea expansion that signals higher ocean heat storage.
- The World Meteorological Organization issued urgent calls for preparedness earlier this month and warned that El Niño typically drives higher global temperatures and varied regional extremes.
- Climate scientists say a particularly strong El Niño is now more likely and could push 2026 toward new global temperature records, but they stress that final intensity and precise regional impacts will only be clear after months of monitoring and model assessment.
- Open, continuous observations from Copernicus, ESA and NASA will guide forecasts and preparedness over the coming months as authorities and communities plan for possible droughts, floods and storm shifts.