--- title: "Record El Niño event threatens global food security and trade routes" publisher: "Stockmark.IT" author: "Stockmark.IT Website" published: "2026-08-24T06:47:58+00:00" modified: "2026-08-24T06:47:58+00:00" date: 2026-08-24 canonical: "https://stockmark.it/super-el-nino-threatens-food-water-and-trade-worldwide/" category: "Business" categories: ["Business", "Economy", "Financial", "Food Industry", "Food Prices"] image: "https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/record-el-nino-event-threatens-global-food-security-and.png?fit=1536%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1" format: "news" language: "en-GB" --- # Record El Niño event threatens global food security and trade routes **Published:** August 24, 2026 **Author:** Stockmark.IT Website **Categories:** Business, Economy, Financial, Food Industry, Food Prices **Featured image:** ![Record El Niño event threatens global food security and trade routes](https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/record-el-nino-event-threatens-global-food-security-and.png?fit=1536%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1) --- The world is facing an exceptionally intense El Niño weather event this year, characterised by warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific. This phenomenon is set to disrupt typical weather patterns, potentially causing heavy rainfall in some regions and severe drought in others. While it remains unclear whether the increased frequency of El Niño is directly linked to human-caused climate change, the event is certainly exacerbating extreme weather patterns in various parts of the globe. The rapid and dramatic intensification of this year’s event poses significant threats to certain ecosystems, including fisheries, and may trigger more severe weather events such as hurricanes. When excess heat stored in ocean water is released into the atmosphere, it can lead to increased rainfall, higher temperatures, and elevated water levels on the eastern side of the Pacific. El Niño is officially declared when a specific threshold of oceanic heat is sustained for several months in the Niño 3 and Niño 4 regions of the eastern-central tropical Pacific. The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, uses the three-month average sea surface temperature to determine the occurrence of such events, although other global weather agencies may employ different metrics. The term “Super El Niño,” coined by scientists rather than officially adopted by meteorological agencies, refers to events where temperatures rise by at least two degrees Celsius above average. Previous instances of such intensity occurred in 1982–83, 1997–98, 2015–16, and 2023–24. NOAA has warned that there is a greater than 90 per cent probability that the current El Niño will become very strong in the second half of the year, potentially making it the strongest in nearly 80 years of records. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, described the situation as a genuinely remarkable event. He noted that conditions are already at record-breaking or record-tying levels and are expected to skyrocket further. The 2026 El Niño has already begun to delay planting seasons and disrupt crop growth in parts of the world, particularly across Central America and Southeast Asia, due to lower-than-usual rainfall and above-average temperatures. Rain-fed crops are expected to suffer in certain regions in the coming months. The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that El Niño could cause almost 50 million more people worldwide to experience acute hunger, representing an increase of about one-fifth. The phenomenon is also affecting global trade by threatening major waterways. Panama, one of the rainiest countries on Earth, has been experiencing a prolonged dry period that could impact operations in the Panama Canal. In response to concerns about El Niño, the Panama Canal Authority has imposed stricter limits on how heavily loaded ships can be while crossing. The Guardian reported that if a Super El Niño occurs and is as severe as meteorologists fear, it could adversely affect regions worldwide in various ways. In the worst-case scenario, impacts could include drought, shocks to global food supply chains, wildfires, excess rainfall, increased coal consumption, grid failure, declining fish stocks, heightened geopolitical tensions over critical agricultural inputs, higher rates of heat illness, and even civil conflict. The severe weather is expected to disproportionately affect poorer regions of the world that lack the capacity to provide alternative water, food, and energy in the face of extreme weather events. While weather agencies have models to predict the effects of El Niño, the accuracy of these predictions is uncertain if a much stronger event occurs in 2026. Signals of a strong El Niño were observed earlier in the year than usual, which could lead to outcomes that differ from those predicted. There has not been an El Niño this intense on record, and no powerful El Niño has occurred against a background climate as hot as the current one. This makes predicting the impact of the weather event even more complicated. However, NOAA forecasters explained that just because the Super El Niño is expected to be record-strong does not mean its impacts will be decidedly worse or guaranteed to occur in most locations typically affected. Meteorologists expect an extremely strong El Niño this year based on recent Pacific Ocean temperature readings, which could spur extreme weather events in various parts of the world. However, if the severity of the weather event surpasses that of others on record, it will be almost impossible to predict its impact on different regions. --- **Original URL:** https://stockmark.it/super-el-nino-threatens-food-water-and-trade-worldwide/ *Created by [WP Markdown Endpoint](https://wpmarkdownendpoint.com/)*