El Niño Is Here and Will Have ‘Big Consequences’ for Global Weather
Key takeaways
- El Niño is a phenomenon every few years in which a tropical region of the Pacific experiences unusually warm ocean surface temperatures, affecting weather patterns across the world.
- A 2026 El Niño is now officially underway, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which also said this one has a greater than 50 percent chance of turning into a “super” El Niño.
- Combined with the ongoing rising temperatures from the climate crisis, a “super” El Niño could spell major disruption of weather patterns and ocean circulation worldwide.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
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El Niño is a phenomenon every few years in which a tropical region of the Pacific experiences unusually warm ocean surface temperatures, affecting weather patterns across the world.
A 2026 El Niño is now officially underway, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which also said this one has a greater than 50 percent chance of turning into a “super” El Niño.