State of the climate: Strong El Niño puts 2026 on track for second-warmest year

The first three months of 2026 have been the fourth warmest on record, with each successive month surpassing historical averages by a greater margin.

While weak La Niña conditions pushed down temperatures at the start of the year, scientists expect the development of a strong – and potentially “super” – El Niño event by early autumn. 

El Niño and La Niña are the warm and cool phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a recurring climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that shapes global weather patterns.

Based on temperature datasets from five different research groups, Carbon Brief predicts that 2026 is likely to be the second-warmest year on record. 

The year is virtually certain to be one of the four warmest on record and, currently, has a 19% chance of surpassing 2024 as the warmest year on record.

However, the development of a strong El Niño event later this year would substantially increase the chance that 2027 will be the warmest year on record.

In addition to near-record warmth, the start of 2026 has seen record-low sea ice cover in the Arctic, with the year tying with 2025 for the lowest winter peak in the satellite record.