El Niño could cause Ireland to have unseasonably warm autumn

Ireland could have an unseasonably warm autumn as the El Niño effect continues to strengthen, pushing up temperatures in almost every part of the world. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Friday that the El Niño – the recurring weather pattern – “continues to intensify steadily and is expected to dominate global climate patterns in the August-October 2026 season. Much of the world faces above-normal temperatures and major changes in rainfall patterns.” This latest assessment will cause further concerns as countries across Europe battle devastating fires amid gruelling heatwaves and prolonged drought. [ Were this summer’s heatwaves caused by El Niño, or something even more terrifying?Opens in new window ]Ireland is among those countries that have had scarcely any rain for weeks and where the fire risk in open countryside in many counties is now categorised as “extreme”. READ MOREHeading into autumn, the WMO says southern Europe is expected to be wetter than average and northern Europe drier, with all areas likely to be unusually warm. The rainfall outlook for Ireland is less certain because of the country’s northwesterly location, but a dry autumn would cause problems for water supplies and agriculture after the drought. The WMO update comes as France and Spain continue to fight fires across large areas of countryside that have destroyed villages, farms and forest and have at times threatened cities. United Nations secretary general António Guterres responded to the latest WMO update by warning that unmitigated climate change was only going to become more deadly. Night Watch: On patrol with volunteer firefighters in Bordeaux Video: Naomi O'Leary. Editor: Eoin Ronayne “El Niño is not just on our doorstep – it is inside the house and turning up the heat,” he said. “And this is only a warm-up act. El Niño is strengthening ... Fossil fuels are fanning the flames of this crisis. Expansion must stop. More coal, oil and gas will lead to a more combustible future. “Unless we act ... the dangers will become deadlier still. The warm-up act is over. We cannot afford to wait for the main event.” El Niño is a naturally occurring phenomenon that takes hold every two to seven years, driven by the dispersal of warm air from a build-up of heat in the waters of the eastern Pacific. It increases global temperatures for about a year and exacerbates heat already intensifying because of global warming. In France, some easing of the intense heatwave conditions has helped emergency services bring under control fires that caused havoc in the southwest region, but southeast and Mediterranean areas are now under high alert. In Spain, temperatures exceeding 40 degrees are expected to continue in inland areas until Saturday, with the heat easing across the country from Sunday.