Nigeria Faces 31,400 Deaths from El Niño's Extreme Heat

A report by the Climate Impact Lab projects that Nigeria could experience 31,400 additional deaths from extreme heat over the next six months as a result of an intensifying El Niño weather pattern. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have indicated that the current El Niño event may be unprecedented in strength, increasing the risks of extreme heat, droughts, and flooding in vulnerable communities.

Celeste Saulo, WMO secretary-general, stated that the phenomenon could peak towards the end of 2026, with effects persisting beyond that period. El Niño is part of a climate pattern known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by warmer sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

The WMO's September 3, 2026, update indicated a near-100% likelihood that El Niño would continue through February 2027, potentially reaching very strong intensity before its peak.