Monday 12 October 2026 · Edition of the day

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The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories
1
Average plausibility
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How to read the score
It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.
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01ScienceGlobal

Pacific monitoring region reaches reported temperature record as El Niño intensifies

France 24 cites Copernicus for a September sea-surface temperature of 29.70C, while record-strength forecasts remain projections.

An intensifying El Niño pushed sea-surface temperatures in a key Pacific monitoring region to a record 29.70C in September, France 24 reported, citing the EU's Copernicus climate service. The item says forecasters expect the weather pattern to become the strongest recorded this year. It also links the pattern to increased drought and flood risks and exacerbated global warming.

What holds up

  • ✓The reported September measurement is attributed to an identified climate service, Copernicus.
  • ✓The item distinguishes the reported temperature record from a forecast about El Niño's eventual strength.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The supplied summary does not name the monitoring region, averaging method or record period.
  • ?The strongest-ever outcome is a forecast, with no probability range or forecast methodology supplied.

Ask before you share

  • →Which monitoring region and historical dataset underpin the temperature record?
  • →How confident are forecasters, and what regional impacts are actually projected?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]France 24 · Published 12 Oct 2026 · france24.com