Super El Nino sets new record as it strengthens to 'unprecedented levels'

Super El Nino sets new record as it strengthens to 'unprecedented levels' More than 450,000 deaths have been forecast by experts as the climate phenomenon begins to take its grip, with new records expected to be set 'by a remarkable amount' The intensifying Super El Nino is growing in strength to what worried scientists are calling "unprecedented levels" as they warn December is when it will hit its peak. The extreme weather system wreaking havoc across the globe could kill almost half a million people, a harrowing report predicted last month. Sparking further climate alarm overnight, Australia’s weather experts said the average weekly sea-surface temperatures in the central Pacific have reached their highest level on record. El Nino is firmly established, with big impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat expected to make 2026 the hottest year on record. Forecasts show near a 100 per cent likelihood that it will persist through to at least February. Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings. The phenomenon, fuelled by the effects of human-powered climate change and has a brutal knock-on effect on all continents, has already entered unprecedented territory. Last month declared a new record for daily sea surface temperatures in the central-eastern Pacific, exceeding the previous record set during the very strong El Nino of 11 years ago. Dr Zeke Hausfather, climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, told the BBC: "We are currently witnessing an El Niño event that is unprecedented in the historical record. "The strength of El Niño this year is spilling out of the traditional El Nino region," he added, before Dr Hausfather saying the "astonishing" projections mean records are likely to be broken by "by a remarkable amount". The phenomenon, which takes shape over the Pacific Ocean and pushes temperatures to extreme, is fuelled by the effects of human-powered climate change and has a brutal knock-on effect on all continents. Scientists from the University of Chicago urged people to prepare for the potential devastating impact in the years ahead. According to the experts, death tolls could soar by the start of 2027 as they fear 239,000 lives could be lost in the next six months alone. Overall, they calculate 451,000 will die in total after the a report was pulbished using climate models to predict the impact the devastating event could have on the world. The eye-opening study forecasts that the countries projected to see the largest number of excess heat-related deaths include Nigeria and Indonesia. There will be more than 10,000 lives lost in Sudan, India, Brazil and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has been claimed. Heat-related mortality is the total number of deaths caused directly by extreme heat or triggered when high temperatures worsen pre-existing medical conditions. People aged 65 and older face the highest risk from high temperatures. Stressing the need for urgent action in areas flagged as high risk for for deaths, the scientists fear deaths could rise in the northern hemisphere going into 2027.