"Where this ocean surface warming exceeds 2°C (3.6°F), the event is often referred to as a 'super El Niño'. Now, the Copernicus Climate Change Service has revealed that April 2026 saw the second highest sea surface temperatures on record. Measurements last month show that the daily average over the extra-polar regions inched toward the record values seen in 2024. According to the experts, this suggests super El Niño conditions could be here in the 'coming months'."
"Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) said: 'April 2026 adds to the clear signal of sustained global warmth. 'Sea surface temperatures were near record levels with widespread marine heatwaves, Arctic sea ice remained well below average, and Europe saw sharp contrasts in temperature and rainfall; all hallmarks of a climate increasingly shaped by extremes.'"
"The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a natural climate pattern which cycles between a hot El Niño and a cool La Niña phase every two to seven years. During the El Niño part of the cycle, warm waters that build up in the Pacific spread out and raise the Earth's average surface temperature. This heat ends up escaping into the atmosphere, raising our planet's temperature for months."
"Copernicus' latest data shows that the average sea surface temperature (SST) last month over 60°S-60°N was 21°C (69.8°F). 'The highest April SST on record occurred in 2024 during the last El Niño event,' it expla"
El Niño years are part of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycle, marked by sustained warm temperatures across the Pacific Ocean. When ocean surface warming exceeds 2°C, the event is often called a “super El Niño.” April 2026 saw the second highest sea surface temperatures on record, with daily averages in extra-polar regions moving toward 2024 record values. Experts say this pattern suggests super El Niño conditions could arrive in the coming months. During El Niño, warm Pacific waters spread and raise Earth’s average surface temperature, with heat escaping into the atmosphere and warming the planet for months. Current indicators point to an unusually strong El Niño, with April sea surface temperatures averaging 21°C over 60°S–60°N.
Read at Mail Online
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