// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Five ways El Niño is affecting the weather around the world
El Niño has been strengthening for several months now and is already having a significant impact on global weather patterns.
Countries including Indonesia, India and the United States have been experiencing droughts, floods and heatwaves in line with projections about how extreme weather events will be supercharged by the phenomenon.
The World Meteorological Agency says the record-breaking El Niño will strengthen further and persist until at least 2027.
Here are five ways its impact is already being felt around the world.
Several regions around the world are already experiencing anticipated El Niño impacts
Indonesia, which typically trends drier and hotter in El Niño years, is battling its worst wildfire season since 2015.
This year, since January, at least 895,657 hectares of land – nearly six times the size of Greater London – have been burned.
This is more than twice the area burned last year without the influence of El Niño.
The wildfires have led to school closures and an increase in hospital admissions across Indonesia.
Millions of people in Sumatra and Kalimantan have been exposed to toxic haze from the fires and around 175,000 people have suffered from respiratory illness.