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A new El Niño is developing, and satellites are helping us spot the first signs from space 🛰️
This video shows sea-surface temperature anomalies from 1 to 7 June 2026, relative to the 1991–2020 average.
We use anomalies — the difference between current conditions and the long-term average — because El Niño often begins as a subtle shift away from what is “normal”, and those early changes are easier to see against a reference pattern.
Although the temperature differences may appear small, the ocean stores and exchanges enormous amounts of heat, so even slight warming can indicate very large changes in the energy flowing between the ocean and the atmosphere.
El Niño occurs every few years when the trade winds weaken allowing warm water in the western Pacific Ocean to shift eastward, bringing with it changes in wind patterns and ocean dynamics.
In a warming world, its impacts can be amplified. This can mean more heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and storms, with serious consequences for communities and economies.
That is why early warnings, resilience and faster climate action matter now more than ever.
📹 @europeanspaceagency (data sources: CMEMS/ESA SST CCI)
