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The Met Office<\/a> has warned the El Ni\u00f1o event developing over the Pacific is shaping up to be the strongest in living memory – and it will impact the weather in London<\/a> over the coming months.<\/p>\n Forecasters have said that the phenomenon will cause the UK to experience more storms and rain<\/a> over the coming autumn and winter.<\/p>\n An El Ni\u00f1o event is declared when sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise to 0.5C above the long-term average, impacting global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.<\/p>\n That would make this year\u2019s weather event the largest since at least 1950, and possibly since the 19th century, according to the national forecaster.<\/p>\n Other climate groups have projected temperatures to even reach 4C above average.<\/p>\n People shelter from the rain under an umbrella, in Westminster, central London (Jonathan Brady\/PA)<\/p>\n PA Wire<\/p>\n How will El Ni\u00f1o impact London\u2019s weather?<\/p>\n The impact of such an event would mean that London, along with all of northwest Europe, would experience wetter and stormier conditions in the coming autumn and early winter.<\/p>\n El Ni\u00f1o can also increase the odds of cold weather late in the winter.<\/p>\n Professor Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, said: \u201cWe should be clear that this is an unprecedented event. I have never seen an El Ni\u00f1o signal this intense in our forecasts.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIf the forecast is accurate \u2013 and other forecast systems show similar extreme values \u2013 then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Ni\u00f1o and its worldwide climate influences.\u201d<\/p>\n The Met Office said that El Ni\u00f1o events also drive an increase in global average temperature, with 2027 \u201cvery likely\u201d to be the hottest year on record.<\/p>\n Met Office Science Fellow Dr Nick Dunstone said: \u201cDuring large El Ni\u00f1o events significantly more heat is released from the ocean to the atmosphere leading to an increase in global average temperature, particularly in the calendar year following the winter peak of the El Ni\u00f1o. <\/p>\n \u201cHence, 2027 is very likely to replace 2024 as the warmest year on record and be another year to temporarily exceed plus 1.5C above the pre-industrial period\u201d.<\/p>\n An aerial view shows Somang village in Indonesia’s western Banten province, which was deliberately flooded to make way for the construction of a dam, and has now re-emerged due to the El Ni\u00f1o-driven drought<\/p>\n AFP\/Getty<\/p>\n Climate change \u2018stress\u2019 is increasing<\/p>\n Professor Stephen Belcher, the Met Office\u2019s chief of science and technology, said: \u201cThis summer we have experienced heatwaves across Europe reminding us of the effects of climate change<\/a>, this large El Ni\u00f1o is a reminder that natural variations in the climate system are also at play, adding to the stresses of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n The unprecedented string of heatwaves and lack of rainfall meant that England saw the driest July on record, with no meaningful rain in London, putting unprecedented pressure on the capital\u2019s cherished parks and beauty spots. <\/p>\n Almost three-quarters of England and all of Wales have been pushed into drought, putting severe pressure on the water system, wildlife, farmers, emergency services and infrastructure.<\/p>\n During the UK\u2019s fifth heatwave<\/a> of the summer, the hottest day of the year was recorded in Kew Gardens last Thursday when temperatures reached 38.1C. <\/p>\n Wildfires<\/a> have ravaged parts of the UK, with a blaze in Stourbridge destroying 19 homes and London Fire Brigade<\/a> (LFB) taking huge numbers of calls to fires amid sweltering temperatures. <\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/990ec9f645a61d27f28069304365a5a8Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzg3MzM5OTI3-2.85612596.jpg\")
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