Scientists monitoring Pacific temperatures report that El Niño has become the strongest on record, with daily sea surface temperatures in the key central-eastern Pacific region reaching 3.05℃ above average on September 19, surpassing the previous record of 3.02℃ set in 2015. The phenomenon is expected to peak later this year, but global weather impacts are already evident, including wildfires in Indonesia affecting approximately 12.5 million people, a 15% reduction in India's monsoon rainfall, and no hurricane formation in the Atlantic so far in 2026.