'A supersized El Niño is colliding with a planet already superheated': 2026 will be among hottest years on record

Homes destroyed, others covered in thick mud, after recent floods in the Nuwakot district, Nepal, September 8, 2026. DAR YASIN/AP Deadly heatwaves in Europe, a glacier collapse and devastating floods in Nepal, historic rainfall deficits in India… Once again this year, extreme weather events – one of the consequences of human-caused global warming – hit many regions of the world hard. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2026 continued "the protracted streak of exceptional global temperatures, melting ice and rising sea levels."

The year has also been marked by an unprecedented El Niño event, whose effects will continue to be felt well beyond December, when it is expected to reach its peak intensity. The WMO climate report, published Monday, November 9, to coincide with the opening of the 31 st Conference of the Parties (COP31) on climate in Turkey , states that 2026 will be one of the four hottest years ever recorded. Between January and September, the average surface temperature of the planet was about 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels, and that figure is expected to rise by the end of the year, particularly due to El Niño. The past 12 years (2015 to 2026) have been the hottest since records began in 1976, and the last four years top the list, the United Nations agency said.

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