The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced the world had the fifth warmest February.
There was a strong temperature contrast within Europe, characterised by warmer-than-average temperatures in the United States, the Middle East, central Asia, and East Antarctica.
Cold conditions were reported in Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and northern Russia.
Heavy storms and rain affected western Europe and northern Africa, with exceptional floods that caused widespread damage and loss of life and livelihoods in Australia, Mozambique, and Botswana.
The WMO said this highlights the need for early warnings.
Forecasts warned against a 60% chance of El Niño(El Niño-Southern Oscillation) neutral conditions – neither El Niño or La Niña during March–May 2026, rising to a 70% chance during April-June.
During May-July, the chance of neutral conditions is 60%, whilst the chance of an El Niño increases steadily to around 40%.
Celeste Saulo, Secretary General of WMO, said “the WMO community will be carefully monitoring conditions in the coming months to inform decision-making. The most recent El Niño, in 2023-24, was one of the five strongest on record and it played a role in the record global temperatures we saw in 2024.”
Saulo also said “seasonal forecasts for El Niño and La Niña help us avert millions of dollars in economic losses and are essential planning tools for climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, health, energy and water management. They are also a key part of the climate intelligence provided by WMO to support humanitarian operations and disaster risk management, and thus save lives.”