Chances rise for super El Niño this year

Source: washingtonpost.com

TL;DR

The story at a glance

The Washington Post reports on a new ECMWF forecast raising chances for a super El Niño this year, based on rapid Pacific warming after La Niña. Meteorologist Ben Noll highlights the model's strong signal, building on March predictions. This comes amid NOAA's El Niño Watch as neutral conditions take hold soon.

Key points

Details and context

A super El Niño features Niño3.4 sea surface temperatures over +2°C above average, though no formal definition exists; it intensifies typical El Niño effects from warmer equatorial Pacific waters shifting atmospheric patterns.-[[3]](https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/04/a-powerhouse-el-nino-event-appears-to-be-brewing-for-2026-27)

Key quotes

"The March ENSO outlook shows a 17 percent chance of at least a 'strong' event during the August-October 2026 time frame. This likelihood increases to 33 percent by the October-December time frame." – Michelle L'Heureux, NOAA Climate Prediction Center ENSO team lead[[6]](https://www.newsweek.com/6-ways-super-el-nino-could-impact-2026-weather-11791986)

Why it matters

A super El Niño risks extreme regional weather like droughts in Indonesia and the Caribbean, floods in Peru, hot summers across the Western U.S., Africa, Europe, and India, plus more Pacific cyclones and fewer Atlantic hurricanes.

This could mean hotter global temperatures possibly setting records in 2026 or 2027, disrupting agriculture, water supplies, and storm preparation for households and businesses.

Watch upcoming NOAA and ECMWF updates in May-June, as forecasts remain uncertain this far out.