El Nino forecast 'off the charts' as weather event linked to more snow in UK

El Nino forecast 'off the charts' as weather event linked to more snow in UK Weather experts say this year's El Nino could be 'off the charts', with potential cold snaps threatening to unleash snow, flooding, power cuts and damage from high winds Britain could face a spell of extreme winter weather as a powerful El Nino threatens to smash records, with the UN warning the event could be stronger than anything seen in four decades. The developing weather phenomenon has been branded "off the charts" by the head of the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO), as ocean temperatures across the tropical Pacific climb above the long-term average. Experts say it could bring wetter and stormier conditions to the UK, with potential "cold snaps" threatening to unleash snow, flooding, power cuts and damage from high winds. Maps tracking sea-surface temperatures show vast areas of unusually warm water, a key sign of El Nino gaining strength. It comes as new figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found an estimated 2,200 deaths were linked to cold weather last winter. The data, which covers five "cold weather episodes" from winter 2025/26, suggests the cold-associated deaths happened in all regions of England except the North East, with people aged over 85 were most at risk. Last winter there were five cold episodes, which are defined as a period of two or more consecutive days during which the average daily temperature falls below 2C. Health officials suggested that the population in England may have had a "greater vulnerability to cold weather and its impacts" in the most recent five-year period. They found that in the five winters from 2014/15 to 2018/19 low temperatures were "associated with a less rapid increase in mortality" compared with the most recent five year period – 2020/21 to 2025/26. "This may indicate that the population had greater vulnerability to cold weather and its impacts in the more recent five-year period," the UKHSA said. The WMO has warned temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific could reach record levels between October and December, as the phenomenon approaches its expected peak. El Nino develops when sea temperatures in this region rise at least 0.5C above average, disrupting atmospheric circulation and shifting weather patterns across the world. Its effects can range from scorching heat and drought to torrential rain, flooding and powerful storms. While the UK is thousands of miles from the Pacific, Britain could still feel the effects this autumn and winter. The Met Office warned in August that El Nino could bring wetter, stormier conditions across north-west Europe, including the UK, during autumn and early winter. The British Red Cross has highlighted the potential for "cold snaps" while there are also fears that a weakening of the stratospheric polar vortex could bring heavy snow and allow freezing Arctic air to push further south. The Met Office has previously identified this as one possible outcome during a strong El Nino, but stressed it was too early to say whether it would affect the UK. El Nino is already being linked to extreme weather in other parts of the world. Heavy rain has caused rivers to swell in parts of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, forcing thousands of people from their homes and sending ranchers scrambling to move cattle to higher ground. Meanwhile, wildfires on Indonesia's island of Borneo have worsened during a prolonged dry season, threatening endangered orangutans and other wildlife.