Think this is bad? Imminent super El Niño could make UK temperatures even HOTTER later this summer, expert warns

As the UK continues to be scorched by Europe’s scorching ‘heat dome’, many are hoping temperatures will start to cool down soon.

But experts have warned that an impending ‘Super El Niño’ could push the mercury even higher later this year.

NASA satellites recently confirmed that the weather phenomenon characterized by warmer waters in the equatorial Pacific is ‘ongoing’.

The space agency predicts this El Niño event will have ‘widespread impacts’, including bringing wetter conditions to the American Southwest and drought to countries in the Western Pacific.

But experts say we can expect extreme temperatures ‘almost everywhere’, including the UK.

While its impact on Britain’s weather is indirect, a particularly strong El Niño event could raise global temperatures and amplify the warming effects of climate change.

Simon Culling, a leading data collector and researcher at the UK’s Tornado and Storm Research Organization (TORRO), wrote about X: ‘If current predictions for the next El Niño phase come true, what does this mean for the UK?

‘This could mean warmer summers for both 2026 and 2027 and increase the risk of a severe cold spell in winter 2026/27. Let’s see what happens.’

After a record-breaking day yesterday, there are still numerous heat and storm warnings in place today.

A record was broken for the hottest day in June yesterday, with a temperature of 36.1°C recorded in Gosport, Hampshire.

It broke the previous highest temperature of 35.6°C, set in 1976 and 1957, the Met Office said.

The weather is expected to change to more variable and fresher summer conditions over the weekend.

However, forecasts indicate that July will be dryer than average and will experience above-normal temperatures.

Although the effects of El Niño on the UK have not yet been determined, meteorologists say the intensity of El Niño will be comparable to the 1997/98 event, when global temperatures reached the highest level in history.

During its development, the UK experienced an exceptionally hot, sunny and humid August characterized by heatwaves.

Speaking about the possible development of El Niño, Grahame Madge, climate science communicator at the Met Office, previously said: ‘This is likely to be a significant event.

‘It is likely to be the strongest El Niño event so far this century. And we’re probably comparing that to 1998. ‘This was a significant year in terms of global temperature and was the hottest year on record at the time.’

Mr Madge said the impact of El Niño was a significant factor in global weather conditions, but it was not the only factor.

‘It is possible that we will see some effects of El Niño, but it is equally possible that we will see other factors become more dominant,’ he explained.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a natural climate pattern that transitions between a warm El Niño and a cool La Niña phase every two to seven years.

During the El Niño part of the cycle, warm water accumulates in the Pacific and spreads, raising the Earth’s average surface temperature.

This heat escapes into the atmosphere, raising the planet’s temperature for months.

Although this cycle has been ongoing for hundreds of thousands of years, current signs in the Pacific point to this year being one of the strongest El Niño patterns ever recorded.

Current measurements show that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific are rising faster than at any time this century and could reach 1.5-2°C (2.7-3.6°F) above normal.

While not yet definitive, this is a very strong sign that a strong El Niño weather pattern is approaching.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), we can expect above-normal temperatures ‘almost everywhere in the world’.

The strongest heat signals are predicted to be in southern and western North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa and much of Asia.

Northern parts of Asia may also be warmer than normal, although forecasts are less precise.

Warmer than normal weather is expected in many regions in the Southern Hemisphere.

Northern South America is expected to see the strongest warming, while southern Africa is predicted to experience widespread above-normal temperatures.

In Australia, warmer conditions are expected mostly along the west, south and east coasts, with no obvious trend in the north.

Tropical regions around the world are also forecast to be warmer than normal, particularly Equatorial Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and the Maritime Continent.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said: ‘We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Niño event; This will worsen droughts and heavy rains and increase the risk of heatwaves on both land and ocean.’