Warning of unprecedented heatwaves as El Niño set to return in 2023

Scientists say phenomenon coupled with growing climate crisis likely to push global temperatures ‘off the chart’

A man looks at the carcasses of animals that died due to an El Niño-related drought in southern Hargeisa, Somaliland, in April 2016. Photograph: Feisal Omar/Reuters

The return of the El Niño climate phenomenon later this year will cause global temperatures to rise “off the chart” and deliver unprecedented heatwaves, scientists have warned.

Early forecasts suggest El Niño will return later in 2023, exacerbating extreme weather around the globe and making it “very likely” the world will exceed 1.5C of warming. The hottest year in recorded history, 2016, was driven by a major El Niño.