More than 2C above average Pacific waters define a super El Niño, and experts say that extra heat can disrupt food production, intensify heavy rain and flooding, worsen health risks and damage coral reefs.
Canada could feel the effects through higher food prices and a warmer winter with more rain than snow, raising localized flood risk even as British Columbia, Alberta and the Prairies may turn drier and warmer than normal.
Globally, the harshest impacts are expected in Peru, Ecuador, East Africa, Central Asia and southern North America, with higher drought and wildfire risk in Australia, Indonesia and parts of South America.
Coral ecosystems are also vulnerable: rapid ocean warming during El Niño events has been linked to reef deterioration, adding pressure to fragile marine habitats already stressed by climate change.
Is the world on the brink of an unprecedented food crisis as the super El Niño begins?
After this super El Niño, could a rapid shift to La Niña bring even more extreme weather in 2027?
Have our planet's coral reefs already passed the point of no return from extreme ocean heat?