El Nino expected 'to break records'
Published: 03:07 PM,Jul 07,2026
| EDITED : 07:07 PM,Jul 07,2026
Pedestrians holding a bottle walk in the Miroir d'eau reflecting pool on the banks of the Garonne river, during a summer heatwave in Bordeaux, south-western France, on July 6, 2026. For the third time in six weeks, France is facing a surge in temperatures, with three-quarters of the country under a heatwave alert on July 7, 2026, just a few days after a historic heatwave. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP)
Pedestrians holding a bottle walk in the Miroir d'eau reflecting pool on the banks of the Garonne river, during a summer heatwave in Bordeaux, south-western France, on July 6, 2026. For the third time in six weeks, France is facing a surge in temperatures, with three-quarters of the country under a heatwave alert on July 7, 2026, just a few days after a historic heatwave. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP)
The current El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to break records for its overall strength, a top expert said on Tuesday, raising concerns about droughts, floods and other extremes linked to the event. Forecast models are pointing to an 'extreme' event, said Tim Stockdale, an El Nino expert at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), an intergovernmental organisation. Stockdale said this year's El Nino is unlike anything he had seen in more than three decades of tracking the phenomenon. Spain's AEMET weather agency on Tuesday declared a top level red heat alert in three eastern regions and predicted that temperatures would rise above 40C. — AFP