Warning issued over Super El Niño as weather phenomenon with devastating global consequences predicted officially begins

Global food prices could skyrocket in the aftermath of El Niño, as scientists confirm that we are set to experience the weather phenomenon later this year.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that a particularly strong El Niño was forming in the Pacific Ocean and would have a knock-on effect on the weather around the globe.

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also confirmed the 2026 El Niño would live up to its 'super' or 'Godzilla' nickname, predicting a 63 percent chance of ocean temperatures rising by 2°C above average.

So now our concerns about a 'super' El Niño event have been confirmed, it's time to ask the next question: what does an El Niño mean for us?

The changes brought by El Niño will lead to droughts in some regions, while others will experience heavy rainfall and flooding. For example, previous El Niños have caused flooding in the UK.

El Niño will lead to droughts in some places (Getty Stock Images)

And heavy rain in other places (Getty Stock Images)

However, there is another concern linked to drastic changes in weather – its impact on the global food chain.

These fears were confirmed earlier today, with The Financial Times publishing a warning from the World Bank, revealing that El Niño could lead to a shock to global food prices.

Sharing its latest forecast for the global economy, the International Financial Institution said that 'disruptive weather' was likely to exacerbate strains. When combined with the fallout of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has limited the transportation of fertiliser, this could compound food scarcity and price inflation.

"Beyond developments in the Middle East, the possible emergence of El Niño weather conditions could push food prices above current expectations," the bank said, noting that sub-Saharan African nations were particularly vulnerable to changes.

This warning was echoed by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, with chief economist Máximo Torero noting that both events could 'reinforce one another'.

The weather phenomenon is also likely to drive up food prices (Getty Stock Images)

This isn't the warning about the likelihood of our supermarket bills increasing, with Jim Dale, founder of British Weather Services, previously telling The Mirror that every day household items could end up increasing in price.

"The knock-on effects, as far as life is concerned, ecosystem life, that isn't just humans, but it's also wildlife and other things, is likely to be huge, potentially huge," he said.

"Everything from bananas to coffee, sugar, tea, cocoa, all of those are going to be under pressure going forward."

He continued: "You can expect shelves of various products, particularly fruit, veg and other items, either to be sky-high prices or not available at all into the future.

"That may take six months to happen, but nonetheless it still has to be factored in."