El Nino Raises Health Risks as Extreme Weather Threatens to Intensify Through 2027
(MENAFN) The developing El Nino phenomenon could increase the risks of heat-related illnesses, infectious disease outbreaks and worsening air pollution through 2027, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned on Monday.
Speaking during a news briefing at COP31 in Antalya, Saulo explained that rising temperatures could create a range of public health challenges extending beyond the immediate dangers associated with extreme heat.
"We are speaking also about dengue outbreaks, malaria outbreaks," she said, noting that the likelihood of such diseases spreading would depend partly on rainfall conditions in different regions.
Saulo also warned that prolonged hot and dry weather could increase the frequency of wildfires, creating additional health dangers through deteriorating air quality.
"If we expect a hot and dry season, you will have wildfires. With wildfires, you will have poor air quality," she said.
She highlighted ongoing cooperation between the WMO and the World Health Organization to ensure that information about changing weather conditions is more effectively translated into warnings about potential health consequences.
"We are working with the World Health Organization to translate the messaging from weather patterns to health impacts," she said.
The WMO's State of the Climate Update 2026 indicates that El Nino could reach its strongest recorded intensity by December and continue affecting weather conditions into early 2027.
The assessment also found that average global temperatures from January through September were approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
According to the report, El Nino generally has its most significant influence on worldwide temperatures during the year after the climate phenomenon first develops.
In a statement accompanying the assessment, Saulo warned that the combination of rising temperatures and El Nino could amplify existing weather-related dangers.
"We are supercharging our weather and El Nino will be a risk multiplier," Saulo said in a statement accompanying the report.
"Heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for," she warned.
Speaking during a news briefing at COP31 in Antalya, Saulo explained that rising temperatures could create a range of public health challenges extending beyond the immediate dangers associated with extreme heat.
"We are speaking also about dengue outbreaks, malaria outbreaks," she said, noting that the likelihood of such diseases spreading would depend partly on rainfall conditions in different regions.
Saulo also warned that prolonged hot and dry weather could increase the frequency of wildfires, creating additional health dangers through deteriorating air quality.
"If we expect a hot and dry season, you will have wildfires. With wildfires, you will have poor air quality," she said.
She highlighted ongoing cooperation between the WMO and the World Health Organization to ensure that information about changing weather conditions is more effectively translated into warnings about potential health consequences.
"We are working with the World Health Organization to translate the messaging from weather patterns to health impacts," she said.
The WMO's State of the Climate Update 2026 indicates that El Nino could reach its strongest recorded intensity by December and continue affecting weather conditions into early 2027.
The assessment also found that average global temperatures from January through September were approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
According to the report, El Nino generally has its most significant influence on worldwide temperatures during the year after the climate phenomenon first develops.
In a statement accompanying the assessment, Saulo warned that the combination of rising temperatures and El Nino could amplify existing weather-related dangers.
"We are supercharging our weather and El Nino will be a risk multiplier," Saulo said in a statement accompanying the report.
"Heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for," she warned.
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