According to the BBC, the UK Met Office has warned that the El Niño event developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest in living memory and could help make 2027 the hottest year on record. The agency said current sea surface temperatures in a key area of the Pacific are already well above average and could exceed 3C later this year as the event peaks.

The Met Office said the phenomenon is already linked to below-average monsoon rains in India and reduced hurricane activity in the Atlantic, while it could also raise the risk of a wet, stormy autumn in the UK. Prof Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, called it an unprecedented event, and climate scientist Dr Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth said the forecast confidence has increased as the event continues to develop.