Eco Watch | Super El Nino: Killer heat ahead
The Climate Impact Lab projects 451,000 excess heat deaths between June 2026, when the El Nino began, and February 2027, compared with the 1996-2025 average
(Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)
ISSUE DATE: Oct 12, 2026 | Oct 2, 2026 17:08 IST
Last UpdatedOct 2, 2026 17:08 IST 
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Last UpdatedOct 2, 2026 17:08 IST Published byShyam Balasubramanian
Oct 2, 2026 17:08 ISTThe El Nino building up in the Pacific is on course to become the strongest ever measured. A new study estimates it will cause about 451,000 additional heatwave deaths worldwide. India is particularly vulnerable, for it could claim up to 15,800 extra lives by February 2027, and could get worse thereafter.