El Niño is expected to intensify in the weeks ahead, fueling more severe heat across the globe, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization.
In the course of climate change the probability of new temperature records increases. Also the lack of rain in the spring has favored this heat summer. It is unclear whether the Pacific phenomenon El Niño has played a role.
The agency warns that the record temperatures of this summer are not the peak of El Niño: the greatest global rebound will arrive at the end of the year and could last until 2027