Malaysia could record its highest-ever temperatures in 2027 as a strengthening El Niño brings hotter, drier conditions, the country's meteorological department has told Reuters.

El Niño expected to peak in early 2027

Malaysia's Meteorological Department Director-General, Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, said the phenomenon was forecast to peak between March and May 2027.

Maximum temperatures could exceed Malaysia's existing record of 40.1 degrees Celsius, set in Chuping, in the northern state of Perlis, in 1998, he said.

Malaysia's average temperatures have risen since the 1980s, with some of the sharpest increases recorded during particularly powerful El Niño events.

Mohd Hisham said historical data suggested another significant temperature spike was likely, adding that global warming was intensifying the underlying heat.

Rainfall expected to decline across key regions

The Meteorological Department expects significantly lower rainfall and higher temperatures across much of the country.

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The effects are likely to be particularly severe in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, as well as in Sabah and Sarawak, the country's largest palm oil-producing states on the island of Borneo.

Sabah has historically experienced some of the strongest effects of El Niño because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Mohd Hisham said.

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