New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- A rapidly strengthening El Niño has already broken records for its intensity at this early stage, prompting the United Nations to warn that the climate phenomenon could worsen extreme weather across the globe over the coming months.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is entering "uncharted territory," cautioning that the developing El Niño will amplify the effects of climate change by bringing more heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and heavy rainfall.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Although it is a recurring phenomenon, El Niño significantly alters global weathe...