UN Warns El Niño Could Trigger Extreme Weather Through 2027

According to the BBC, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world has entered a "danger zone of extreme weather" as El Niño begins to affect weather patterns globally. The World Meteorological Organization said the event could be the strongest in more than 70 years and may last until at least February 2027. The WMO said El Niño is already pushing sea temperatures sharply higher in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, with monthly readings potentially nearing 4C above average. It said the phenomenon could bring drought to parts of South East Asia, Central America and northern South America, while increasing the risk of stronger typhoons, flooding and landslides elsewhere. The report said the number of vessels passing through the Panama Canal will be reduced by more than 10% on Thursday because of lower rainfall. It also said Indonesia is battling wildfires that have burned more than 107,000 hectares of land this dry season, while China expects seven typhoons to make landfall this year and Peru has deployed the USNS Comfort to its coast for medical assistance and technical equipment.