El Niño Is Back, and Ocean Temperatures Are Already Near Record Highs—that Can Spell Disaster for Fish and Corals
NOAA says the event could rank among the largest on record, with Pacific islands and Pacific-facing coasts facing more active seasons.
- On Monday, June 15, 2026, NOAA confirmed the return of ENSO, forecasting a 63% chance the event will become very strong by November-January, placing it among the largest in the modern record.
- Warming ocean waters stretching 6,000 miles westward off the coast of Ecuador characterize this climate event, typically triggering widespread marine heat waves that can push sensitive fisheries to a breaking point.
- Satellite measurements from Copernicus Sentinel-3 provide critical data for tracking evolving ocean conditions, with scientists emphasizing that combining satellite observations with models integrates multiple lines of evidence to understand the system.
- Global weather patterns shift as the event alters atmospheric circulation, amplifying extremes from floods and droughts while increasing the likelihood of disrupted winter patterns over the North Atlantic and Europe.
- If the event strengthens through winter 2026-27, the biggest global heat signal may arrive in 2027, bringing a higher global baseline with regional extremes including hotter heat waves and added stress on crops.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Drier, hotter conditions forecast as El Nino confirmed
Australia’s meteorological agency has confirmed an El Nino event in the Pacific, potentially bringing drier, warmer weather to parts of the country. While forecasts signal a “strong to very strong” El Nino climatic pattern, the Bureau of Meteorology says a potent system does not necessarily equate to strong weather impacts for Australia. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Friday ascribed a 63 per cent chance of an El Nino …
After the optimal conditions will be observed in the last week for the “El Niño ” phenomenon to develop in the Pacific Ocean, the National Weather Service (SMN) confirmed the date when the event would become one of the strongest that has been recorded. They predict that “El Niño” will become “very strong” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA) indicates that there is a 63% probability that Pacific warming…
El Nino is here and scientists fear it'll be big, bad and costly with heat, floods, droughts, fires
WASHINGTON (AP) — El Nino, Nature's chaotic climate agent, has formed in a warmed-up Pacific Ocean and is expected to grow to historic strength, meteorologists announced Thursday.Experts said the El Nino, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme weather across the planet. Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Nino that began in 19…
El Niño is back, and ocean temperatures are already near record highs—that can spell disaster for fish and corals
It's official: El Niño is back. By late fall 2026, forecast models give a 2-in-3 chance of a strong-to-very-strong El Niño affecting the weather, climate and ocean temperatures across the planet.
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