El Nino reaches super status: Where will it bring rain, drought and heat?
Forecasters say the Pacific Ocean warming pattern could be the strongest on record. Here is what that means for you.
El Nino is a natural climate pattern caused by warmer-than-usual water in the central and eastern Pacific.
Data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released on September 14, 2026, shows El Nino has breached the temperature rise threshold of 2C (3.6F), thus becoming “very strong”, informally known as a super El Nino.
This year’s El Nino began developing in June 2026 and is expected to peak by early 2027, with forecasters warning it could be one of the strongest ever recorded. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects it to persist through March-May 2027.
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that El Nino could push at least 49 million more people into acute hunger by the end of 2027.