The United Nations weather agency forecast a moderate or possibly strong El Nino that could drive up global temperatures and increase the risk of extreme weather in 2026. Experts said the El Nino, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme weather across the planet. Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Nino that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that over 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded in Europe since June 21 in connection with the record-breaking heatwave roasting much of the continent.
India Meteorological Department (IMD), said on Tuesday (June 30, 2026) that rainfall in July — the most important of the monsoon months — will be “below normal” or less than 94% of what is usual for the month. India’s current monsoon deficit is 40%.
Photo:
Reuters
A woman plays with her dog at Prospect Park amid a heatwave in New York City, U.S. on July 1, 2026. Tens of millions of Americans sweltered under furnace-like temperatures on July 2 as central and eastern cities hunkered down for a heat wave set to last through the July 4 holiday weekend.
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AFP
Head of climate prediction services at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Wilfran Moufouma-Okia points on graphs displayed on a computer screen at the WMO headquarters in Geneva, on June 1, 2026. There is an 80% chance of the warming El Nino phenomenon developing between June and August, increasing the risk of extreme weather events, the World Meteorological Organization said on June 2, 2026.
Photo:
Reuters
French firefighters and farmers work to extinguish a fire near a farm in Grand-Auverne, as drought worsens in Loire-Atlantique, France, on June 30, 2026. Climate change has driven record-breaking outbreaks of fire in Europe, Africa, Asia and elsewhere this year, with conditions expected to get worse as the northern hemisphere’s summer approaches and El Nino weather patterns kick in, scientists warned.
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AP
A police water cannon sprays a cooling mist over passersby in Heroes’ Square during a heatwave in Budapest, Hungary on June 30, 2026. All-time temperature records have been broken in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, as well as for the month of June in the U.K. and in Switzerland.
Photo:
Reuters
A woman stands in a pile of ice to cool off at The Great American State Fair on the National Mall amid a heatwave in Washington, D.C., U.S., on July 1, 2026. Washington, the capital, was forecast to see 100°F temperatures from July 2 through July 4, when it will host a fireworks display on the National Mall that organisers said would be the biggest in history.
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AFP
View of the San Rafael Reservoir in La Calera, 14 km north-east of Bogota, taken on March 12, 2024. The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (Ideam) warned in January 2024 that Colombians would continue to suffer the effects of the El Niño phenomenon until at least April of this year, followed by a neutral phase that would last until June.
Photo:
Reuters
A man dives into the water in the Canal Saint-Martin as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of the country, in Paris, France on June 22, 2026. High temperatures are expected in the coming days and the drought is expected to last, with no rain forecast following the early heat wave in May and the one that gripped France at the end of June.
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AP
More than 1,300 excess deaths were recorded in Europe since June 21, according to the UN health agency, including several small children who died in locked cars and people who drowned as they sought relief from the infernal temperatures in unsupervised swimming spots. A paddleboarder walks toward the water across a nearly dried-up lakebed at Pisztrang Street Beach at Lake Velence in Gardony, Hungary, Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Photo:
Reuters
Spain experienced its deadliest ever June for heat mortality after record-breaking temperatures scorched Europe. A woman with an umbrella walks at Plaza Puerta del Sol during a spring heatwave in Madrid, Spain.
Photo:
Reuters
Blistering temperatures and humidity gripped swaths of the United States with the worst yet to come. PJM, the largest U.S. electric grid operator, made a price spikes and warned of massive transmission line congestion as it braced for record-breaking demand driven by a heat wave. Brownsville resident Dana Robles’s grandson sits inside their home in Cameron Park, where the electricity bill continues to rise due to extreme summer heat in Brownsville, Texas, in U.S.
Photo:
Emmanual Yogini
An additional one billion people face at least one day of extreme heat stress, compared with the 1970s, showing that heat stress around the world is increasing in frequency, severity and duration, during both the day and night, a study shows. In India the lack of adequate open space, proper housing, cooling measures is forcing people to sleep outside. Residents from a near by slums are seen sleeping on Mumbai’s Versova beach to escape intense heat.
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Reuters
A person rests under mist sprayed from a public outdoor sprinkler in the city centre during a heat wave in Vienna, Austria. The recent heatwave that roasted Europe marked Austria’s longest-ever in June, with temperatures exceeding previous highs by 1.4°C on average, the national weather agency said on July 1, 2026.
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PTI
As temperatures continue to soar across India, animals are also feeling the impact of the scorching summer. A monkey drinks water to find relief from the heat, in New Delhi on June 30, 2026.
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The Hindu
A total of 2,567 out of 21,472 wards in Kerala have been identified as the most drought-affected, with Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram districts topping the list, according to a recent study. A Cardamom farmer at his drought hit Cardamom plantation at Pullumedu in Idukki.
Photo:
Reuters
A man walks near a billboard reading “The heat can kill you even at work. If they make you work in extreme heat, call the toll-free number” during a heatwave, in Rome, Italy on June 30, 2026. Experts say climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
Published – July 02, 2026 06:29 pm IST
