WMO says El Niño is expected to strengthen to a strong event between July and September
The Facts
- The World Meteorological Organization said El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific.
- WMO forecasts El Niño will strengthen rapidly into a strong event between July and September 2026.
- WMO said the forecast is supported by strong agreement among leading climate-model forecasts, giving the agency high confidence in the outlook.
- According to WMO, the strengthening El Niño increases the likelihood of heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and other extreme weather events in many parts of the world.
- Several reports citing the WMO update say seasonal-average sea-surface temperature anomalies in key central and eastern equatorial Pacific monitoring regions are expected to exceed 2°C.
- The WMO update also points to above-average temperatures across most inhabited areas of the world as El Niño strengthens.
- El Niño is a natural climate pattern linked to warmer waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific that can alter global wind, pressure and rainfall patterns, which is why the forecast has implications far beyond the Pacific region.
- WMO said it is urging countries to prepare for the expected impacts, indicating that preparedness and early warning are the immediate next steps as the event develops.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- A high-confidence WMO forecast of a strengthening El Niño makes broader extreme-weather risks credible enough that countries should prepare and strengthen early warning now.
- They split on
- Whether the story is about a public obligation to protect people from escalating climate risks, or about prudent governance responding calmly to a natural global pattern.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
What is El Niño?
El Niño is a natural climate pattern in which waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific become warmer than normal, affecting wind, air-pressure and rainfall patterns around the world IndexHR,LaVanguardia,El Tiempo.
What does the WMO forecast say will happen next?
The WMO says El Niño is already present and is expected to intensify quickly into a strong event between July and September 2026, with forecast models showing high agreement Hindustan Times,Franceinfo,El Tiempo.
Why does this matter outside the Pacific?
Because El Niño can shift global weather patterns, the WMO says a stronger event raises the chances of heatwaves, droughts, heavy rain and other extremes in many regions, and it also expects above-average temperatures across much of the inhabited world SAPO,infobae,EL MUNDO.
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Wire services (5)
Independent coverage (50)
The Jerusalem PostStrong El Nino will develop rapidly over coming months, says...
Diario EL PAIS UruguayInforme de la ONU anticipa que El Niño será "fuerte" y meteo...
GMA NetworkStrong El Niño will develop rapidly over coming months - UN ...
rts.chEl Niño se renforce : sécheresses et pluies extrêmes redouté...
The News InternationalUN raises alarm as intensifying El Niño threatens more 'extr...
O PovoONU prevê intensificação do El Niño com fenômenos extremos
India TodayEl Nino declared in Pacific Ocean by WMO, warns it will beco...
www.paris-normandie.frMétéo. Canicules, sécheresses, pluies, orages : l'ONU et l'O...
eNCAnewsEl Nino set to be strong, UN warns
The Straits TimesUN warns of strong looming El Nino
Radio SarajevoSvijet ulazi u novu fazu fenomena El Nino: Meteorolozi najav...
Economic TimesStrong El Nino likely to develop rapidly, says UN weather ag...
Economic TimesEl Niño officially returns in 2026: WMO warns climate event ...
Anadolu AjansıClimat : l'ONU alerte sur un El Niño qui devrait atteindre u...
B92Weather giant strengthens and could last 12 months PHOTO/VID...
Le MatinL'ONU annonce l'intensification du phénomène El Niño entre j...
der StandardEl Niño wird "stark", warnt die Weltwetterorganisation
Europe 1Le phénomène climatique El Niño en cours devrait être de "fo...
Malay MailUN agency warns El Niño set to intensify, global temperature...
El TiempoLa Organización Meteorológica Mundial prevé que el fenómeno ...
Le TelegrammeVagues de chaleur, sécheresse, fortes pluies... Le phénomène...
DH.beClimat - Le phénomène climatique El Niño en cours devrait êt...
Ouest FranceCanicule : le phénomène climatique El Niño en cours devrait ...
7sur7Le nouvel épisode El Niño devrait être de "forte" intensité,...
Salzburger NachrichtenWarnung vor einem "starken" Wetterphänomen El Niño
oe24Wetter-Experten warnen vor Mega-El-Niño
N-tvUN-Wetterbehörde schlägt Alarm: WMO warnt vor starkem El Niñ...
CBC NewsWhat's behind all the wild weather in Canada this summer?
slobodna-bosna.baNOVI KLIMATSKI ALARM: El Niño bi u narednim mjesecima mogao ...
Net.hrSuše, obilne oborine, uragani i toplinski valovi: Razvija se...
Dnevnik.hrEl Niño se već razvio, sada je na trećoj od četiri kategorij...
Jutarnji listAlarmantno izvješće iz WMO-a: 'Bojimo se da su projekcije to...
Telegram.hrWHO: 'El Niño se već razvio i ubrzano jača u snažan klimatsk...
Forbes.ruКлиматический фактор: как сдвиг аграрных поясов влияет на по...
tportal.hrEl Niño ubrzano jača u snažan klimatski događaj
RFIONU alerta para El Niño forte de julho a setembro, com impac...
IndexHRStiže snažan El Niño. Očekuju se toplinski valovi, suše i ob...
CNEWSVagues de chaleur, fortes pluies, sécheresse... El Niño devr...
Le Monde.frEl Niño : l'ONU alerte sur un épisode de forte intensité aug...
ObservadorONU prevê intensificação rápida das condições do El Niño nos...
20minutesLe phénomène El Niño en cours devrait être de " forte " inte...
Hindustan TimesEl Niño to amplify in coming months, likelihood of extreme w...
Le Figaro.frL'ONU alerte sur un renforcement rapide du phénomène climati...
infobaeLa ONU advirtió que "El Niño" se intensificará en los próxim...
Les NumériquesSuper El Niño" : un phénomène climatique hors normes arrive,...
NDTVEl Nino Set To Intensify Between July And September, Warns U...
El Financiero'Nos vamos a achicharrar': Prevén que fenómeno de El Niño se...
TheJournal.ieEl Niño phenomenon fuels likelihood of extreme weather over ...
@businesslineStrong El Niño may bring more extreme weather across the wor...
FranceinfoLe phénomène climatique El Niño "est déjà présent et devrait...
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