'Godzilla' El Niño Unleashes Extreme Weather From Indonesia to Panama
A "Godzilla" El Niño is driving extreme weather worldwide. Indonesia faces toxic wildfire smoke, drought is squeezing Panama Canal water levels, and Peru and Kenya are seeing floods. The UN warns it could push 49 million into acute hunger. Scientists see no clear evidence climate change affects El Niño.
The impact reaches far beyond the Pacific. Floods, storms, wildfires and droughts could cause crop losses and supply chain disruption, and early analysis shows this El Niño has already weakened India's monsoon rains. With rice, wheat and maize supplying about 60% of the world's calories, even modest shortfalls can spike food prices. Shipping costs are also exposed: low water levels have pushed Panama Canal transit slot fees to record highs.
WMO forecasts point to unusually high temperatures towards the end of the year. The UK Met Office says the event could rival 1998, which brought record heat and thousands of deaths worldwide. Even if it falls short, record temperatures remain possible because it sits on top of long-term warming.
Early 2026: A weak La Niña fades to neutral, then rapidly shifts towards El Niño
Summer 2026: Panama sees flooding in some regions and water stress in 11 watersheds
Aug 2026: The UN says El Niño is strengthening rapidly to "supersize"; Indonesia faces a longer, more active wildfire season
Sept 17, 2026: BBC correspondents report effects unfolding across five continents
Next 12–18 months: Knock-on effects on food prices expected to reach distant economies like the UK
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1. BBC NewsView Original
