As El Niño Approaches, Scientists Predict Fierce Heatwaves, Wildfires and Floods
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May 12, 2026 Share This Article Republish People cross a section of collapsed road during flash flooding linked to El Niño conditions on Nov. 22, 2023, near Garissa, Kenya. Credit: Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images Related Some Climate Shocks Can Increase the Likelihood of War The Next El Niño Could Lock Earth Into a Hotter Climate Accelerated Global Warming Could Lock Earth Into a Hothouse Future Share This Article Republish Most Popular Plugging Away at the Millions of Derelict Oil and Gas Wells in the US $370 Million Payout US Senators Investigate $370 Million IRS Payout to Cheniere Energy Scientists said this week that a developing El Niño is likely to amplify heatwaves, droughts and floods this year, but warned that the long-term warming caused by burning fossil fuels remains the main driver of climate extremes.
El Niño is the warm phase of a semi-regular temperature oscillation in the tropical Pacific Ocean, during which massive amounts of heat stored in the ocean are released into the atmosphere, temporarily raising the average annual global surface temperature by as much as 0.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
During an online briefing this week, researchers said that the consequences of a moderate or strong El Niño today are more damaging than those of similar events just a few decades ago because the entire global climate system is now substantially warmer.