Minister tells Brits to stock up on days of supplies after ‘supersize’ El Niño warning

Britons are being urged to keep a few days’ worth of food and water at home as forecasters warn of what could be the largest El Niño in at least 1,000 years. The United Nations says the climate phenomenon is ‘supersizing before our eyes’, and the environment secretary, Angela Eagle, told The Guardian that the prospect of a wild, stormy winter shows why households should keep supplies on hand.

Water temperatures at the heart of El Niño are already 2.6C above the 30-year average — close to the highest anomaly ever recorded — and forecasters expect the peak of about 4C in November. Scientists studying corals, tree rings and historical documents say no El Niño this strong has been seen in the past millennium, and the extra heat could help make 2027 the hottest year ever recorded.

The warning comes as the Cabinet Office plans a public campaign urging households to stock up on tinned food ahead of national emergencies, alongside longer-term measures such as new reservoirs and farming reforms. The World Food Programme has said the El Niño is likely to push about 50 million people into acute hunger around the world.