GENEVA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Fueled by unusually warm ocean waters in the tropical Pacific, El Nino conditions are developing and are set to influence global temperature and rainfall patterns, increasing the risk of extreme weather over the coming months, said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday.

"We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Nino event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said at a press conference in Geneva.

The most recent El Nino, in 2023-2024, was one of the five strongest on record and it played a role in the record global temperatures in 2024, Saulo noted.

The WMO community will be carefully monitoring conditions in the coming months to inform governments, humanitarian agencies and climate-sensitive sectors, Saulo said, adding that advance seasonal forecasts and early warnings are vital to save lives and cushion the impact of El Nino.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video statement at the conference, said El Nino conditions "will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world."

"The only effective response is climate action equal to the crisis -- ending the addiction to fossil fuels, accelerating the shift to renewables, protecting the most vulnerable, and delivering early warning systems for all," Guterres said. ■