The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in 2026 that its forecasts show a near 100% likelihood that the current El Niño event will persist through February 2027, which would make it the first time the agency has expressed such a high level of certainty. ^[1] The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the climate agency of the United Nations, warned that the current El Niño is set to become 'very strong' in the coming months and has an 'exceptionally high likelihood of nearly 100 per cent' of persisting through to February 2027. ^[2] WMO chief Celeste Saulo told reporters in Geneva that if the current trajectory continues, El Niño may be stronger than anything since monitoring began four decades ago, calling it 'literally off the charts'. ^[3] The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations' weather agency, warned on September 3, 2026 that El Niño will intensify and increase the risk of floods, droughts, and extreme heat worldwide, with effects lasting until February 2027. ^[4] The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on 2026-04-12 that El Nino is intensifying and could become the strongest event since monitoring began four decades ago. ^[5] Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, said in 2026 that if the current trajectory continues, the El Niño event may be stronger than anything since monitoring began, describing it as 'literally off the charts'. ^[6] Wilfran Moufouma Okia, chief of climate prediction services at the WMO, said in 2026 that 2027 has the potential to be the warmest year on record, citing a temporary 'pulse' in global temperatures typically observed after El Niño events. ^[7] The WMO said El Niño, which warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, will peak towards the end of 2026, with its knock-on climate impacts continuing well into 2027. ^[8] United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the planet is in 'uncharted waters' with rising sea surface temperatures, warning that the world is in the 'danger zone of extreme weather'. ^[9] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on September 3, 2026 that El Niño is becoming more powerful, that the planet is in 'unknown waters' and that the world is in the 'danger zone of extreme weather,' calling it a race that must be won. ^[10] WMO scientists said that the current El Niño is the first to make itself so clearly felt, and that it is expected to peak by the end of 2026. ^[11] World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that El Niño could deal 'a huge blow' to communities and economies, and that the WMO has launched an unprecedented mobilisation of national meteorological and hydrological services to save lives. ^[12]