The $30 million toe in the water

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has predicted an 80 per cent likelihood of a Super El Niño occurring during June-August 2026, with a 90 per cent chance of it continuing until at least November.

This comes amid warnings that a Super El Niño - marked by sustaained warm temperatures across the Pacific Ocean - is inching closer.

Experts from the WMO recently predicted there is an 80 per cent likelihood of the weather phenomenon occurring during June-August 2026 .

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Large areas of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea are currently 5°C hotter than usual, adding to mounting evidence a Super El Niño is imminent.

Satellite images show an ongoing marine heatwave off the northern and western coasts of France,the southern coast of Spain, and in the sea off Monaco.

The waters off the coast of Dover, Eastbourne, and Brighton are also significantly warmer than usual, with areas of dark red indicating soaring temperatures.

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While each El Niño varies, the event typically brings increased rainfall in parts of southern South America , the southern United States, parts of the Horn of Africa, and central Asia.

In contrast, there will be drier conditions over Central America, northern South America, the Caribbean, Australia, Indonesia, and parts of southern Asia.

Scientists say there's a strong chance 2026 will be the hottest year ever recorded.

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The WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said: 'We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Niño event - which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean.'

Scientists say there is an extermely high, 86 per cent, chance that one year between now and 2030 will smash the temperature record last set in 2024.

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Yesterday , it emerged that the impending weather phenomenon could add hundreds to your grocery bill .

'We import two-fifths of our food from overseas,' Gareth Redmond-King, international lead at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said.