El Nino breaks Pacific temperature record as EU monitor warns of more heat

An intensifying El Nino broke a temperature record in a key zone of the Pacific Ocean in September, according to the European Union's climate monitor, Copernicus. Sea surface temperatures in the Nino3.4 monitoring region reached an all-time high of 29.70C last month. This surpassed peak temperatures from previous strong El Nino events in 1982/1983, 1997/1998, and 2015/2016. However, Copernicus stated it cannot yet officially declare this the strongest El Nino ever recorded because a new index accounting for overall tropical ocean warming suggests it is not yet stronger than past episodes. Japan's weather agency reported separately on Friday that El Nino conditions reached their strongest intensity on record with temperatures four degrees Celsius above normal in the monitoring area. Global average sea surface temperatures hit a record 21.05C for September, beating the previous high of 20.92C set in September 2023. Surface air temperatures globally averaged 16.27C, making it the second hottest September on record and remaining 1.63C higher than the pre-industrial average of 1850 to 1900. Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo stated that the world is in a new run of months above the 1.5C threshold and that a strong, still-intensifying El Nino is likely to last into 2027. Scientists warn that cutting greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels is necessary to limit how far temperatures overshoot the target and bring them back down.

Context

El Nino is a natural climate cycle that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean every two to seven years, typically lasting nine to twelve months and altering global weather patterns. The warming phase increases the risk of droughts, floods, extreme heat, and crop losses worldwide while worsening human-driven global warming.