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A 'super El Niño' has broken the highest-ever recorded temperature for the phenomenon, with Pacific Ocean temperatures reaching 3.05C—surpassing the previous record of 3.02C set in 2015—several months before its expected peak. California's governor has declared a state of emergency ahead of anticipated record winter storms and flooding, while UK authorities are urging households to flood-proof homes as millions face flood risk after a summer of heatwaves. Across Asia, governments from Sri Lanka to South Korea are rushing preparations for droughts, wildfires, typhoons and floods as hundreds of millions of people face overlapping crises. Scientists warn the 'supersized' El Niño is supercharging the climate crisis, with the phenomenon expected to have major impacts on communities worldwide as its full effects build toward a later peak. The event underscores growing concern that climate volatility is intensifying faster than governments can adapt.