Topic Lifecycle: Dormant
This topic is currently dormant in the news cycle. It was last covered on Friday 25 September 2026 and has not appeared in recent broadcasts.
Coverage trend (last 30 days)
How much coverage this topic got from each channel over the past month.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Recent stories
The latest story timelines linked to this topic, newest activity first.
What was reported
A plain summary of this topic, built from the channels that covered it.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that the current El Niño event could be the strongest on record, with effects expected to last into next year. El Niño, a natural climate pattern linked to unusually warm Pacific waters, typically disrupts weather globally, causing drought in some regions and heavy rain and flooding in others. The WMO's Secretary General said the event would affect many sectors, including agriculture, trade, and health. Forecasters expect it to peak around November and last until at least February. In the UK, past strong El Niño events have been associated with more winter storms, though specific impacts are hard to predict. Meanwhile, Indonesia has seen wildfires and hazardous air quality, leading to school closures.
Key Claims by Channel
Friday 21 August 2026
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 4 or more of 5 channels | |||||
| WaterAid researchers reported that this year's El Niño is on track to be the biggest yet. | |||||
| For the UK and Western Europe, El Niño could bring a wet autumn and winter. | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | ||
| The El Nino event is expected to raise sea temperatures by more than three degrees above normal and is likely to contribute to 2027 becoming the warmest year on record. | Reported by BBC One | ||||
| Reported by a few · 2–3 channels | |||||
| El Niño is a natural phenomenon, but climate change intensifies its impacts. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | ||
| The Panama Canal Authority reduced daily transit slots due to the severe El Niño. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| The peak of the El Niño is expected to occur around December or January, several months away. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | |||||
| The Panama Canal requires large amounts of fresh water to operate its locks. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| El Niño could heighten the risk of drought in Australia and southern Africa. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Storms from El Niño may not immediately resolve drought conditions because reservoirs will take months to refill. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The El Nino effect has been documented since 1550. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| El Nino is caused by weakened trade winds. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Central America, the Amazon, southern Africa and Australia face increased drought risk. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| El Niño is likely to push up UK prices of coffee, clothing, semiconductors, and palm oil. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| El Nino is expected to put extra pressure on food prices. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The last super El Nino in 2015 caused the wettest December on record. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Insurers paid out £1.3 billion for 16,000 flooded properties. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
Thursday 3 September 2026
| Claim | | | |  | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| WaterAid researchers reported that this year's El Niño is on track to be the biggest yet. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | ||
| For the UK and Western Europe, El Niño could bring a wet autumn and winter. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | |
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| El Niño is a natural phenomenon, but climate change intensifies its impacts. | Reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Panama Canal Authority reduced daily transit slots due to the severe El Niño. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The El Nino event is expected to raise sea temperatures by more than three degrees above normal and is likely to contribute to 2027 becoming the warmest year on record. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | |
| El Nino is expected to put extra pressure on food prices. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| El Niño could last until at least February. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| The last super El Nino in 2015 caused the wettest December on record. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Insurers paid out £1.3 billion for 16,000 flooded properties. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| El Nino is expected to add to global temperatures, leading to bumpy weather next year. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | |
| El Niño is expected to peak in November at four degrees above average. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| El Niño is currently at 2.6 degrees above average. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The WMO warned that El Niño will deliver a major blow to communities, economies and supply chains. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Strong El Niño years have brought more winter storms to the UK, such as Storm Desmond in 2015-16. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain wildfires that have forced thousands of schools to close. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Heat from the Pacific Ocean has produced three hurricanes in a row, one of which was Category 4. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| El Niño's effects are expected to continue into 2027, bringing more drought, floods, and extreme heat. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The National Audit Office said Britain needs to do more to prepare for catastrophic events. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.
Flagged quotes
Disputed or loaded quotes across this topic's coverage, newest first.
Verbatim quotes flagged as contested or rhetorically charged. Presence here reflects language used, not a judgement of accuracy.
- contested
… the Atlantic on Wednesday five bodies were found on board Stark warnings are being issued about the current El Nino weather phenomenon Which may well make extreme weather around the world even …
- contested
… you. Thank you very much for coming on. Thank you. UN scientists have issued one of their starkest warnings yet that El Niño is intensifying into the strongest event since records began nearly 50 years ago. El Niño changes weather patterns around the world, pushing some …
- contested
… have an obvious knock-on effect for farming and food supplies. The effects of this naturally occurring phenomenon are being compounded by climate change. Today, France confirmed that the summer of 2026 was the …
- contested
… I mean, I feel really kind of conflicted about this. I don't like this kind of constant scaremongering that we've had the war issue. It's so far tonight …
- contested
… both of those things and that's exactly what this is. This is just more fear porn. All they're doing is saying, look, you didn't boil to …
- contested
… it down our throats so we can all be scared. It's also taking a natural weather phenomenon and saying that it's man-made in some way because the seas must be warming up because of you, Patrick. Now, I don't- I killed a polar bear on my …
- charged
… dying of drought because of big deadly weather. Well, interestingly, the wet flannels at the Guardian actually wrote a hit piece about commentators much like myself and quoted me today saying that I said, I mean, …
- charged
… this is a story that's conflating a couple of things. It's taking climate alarmism and ramming it down our throats so we can all be scared. It's also taking a natural weather phenomenon and saying that …
Timeline
Where this topic appeared. Cells show coverage time and are darker when there was more coverage.
| Date | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 25 September 2026 | 3m 36s 9.7% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tuesday 22 September 2026 | — | — | 2m 45s 2.7% | — | — | — | — | — |
| Friday 4 September 2026 | 2m 37s 6.6% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Thursday 3 September 2026 | — | 7m 51s 8.3% | 2m 48s 2.9% | — | — | 11m 54s 15.1% | — | 7m 45s 8.0% |
| Friday 21 August 2026 | 7m 55s 20.7% | 25m 50s 20.6% | 10m 48s 11.9% | — | — | — | 15m 57s 20.6% | 8m 20s 9.0% |
| Wednesday 19 August 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4m 42s 6.1% | — |