The European Union's climate monitor said on May 8 that ocean temperatures are edging toward record highs as conditions shift toward a potentially powerful El Nino weather pattern.
Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) said sea surface temperatures in recent days were just shy of the all-time highs of 2024 and May looked set to break its own record.
"It's a matter of days before we are back in record-breaking ocean SSTs (sea surface temperatures) again," Burgess, strategic lead for climate at ECMWF, told AFP.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service said daily sea surface temperatures in April "gradually inched" toward near-record highs, reflecting the transition to El Nino expected in coming months.
Copernicus, which is overseen by the ECMWF, said sea surface temperatures in April were the second-highest measured, with marine heatwaves breaking records in the ocean between the tropical Pacific and United States.
Last month, the World Meteorological Organization said El Nino conditions could develop as soon as May to July.
One phase of a natural climate cycle in Pacific Ocean temperatures and trade winds, El Nino influences global weather and increases the likelihood of drought, heavy rainfall and other climate extremes.
It also adds heat to a planet already warmed from burning fossil fuels. The last El Nino helped make 2023 and 2024 the second- and first-hottest years on record, respectively.
