El Niño set to return in mid-2026, UN warns of global climate impacts

The warming El Niño climate pattern is expected to return by mid-2026, potentially driving higher global temperatures and disrupting weather systems worldwide, the World Meteorological Organization said Friday.

The UN agency indicated that El Niño conditions could develop as early as May to July, with early data pointing to a particularly strong event.

Rising sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are already…