The Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union reported that sea surface temperatures in the Pacific's Niño 3.4 region climbed to a record 29.70°C in September 2026, above the peaks of the strong 1982–83, 1997–98 and 2015–16 El Niño episodes. A natural phenomenon, El Niño warms the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and disturbs rainfall and weather across the globe, raising the danger of droughts, floods, heatwaves and crop losses. Global mean sea surface temperature hit 21.05°C, the highest for any September, and the month became the planet's second-warmest September on record. Copernicus termed the ongoing El Niño exceptionally strong, though not yet proven to be the strongest ever.