The World Meteorological Organization(WMO) announced Friday that a global El Niño episode is likely to occur between May and July 2026, which will cause above-normal surface temperatures to prevail over most of the planet.
After a period of neutral conditions at the beginning of the year, climate models see a high probability of an El Niño episode, WMO’s head of climate prediction, Wilfran Moufouma Okia, told a press conference.
El Niño could be strong in 2026
World : WMO forecasts strong El Niño between May and July https://t.co/YcUtXInzQs
– El Mundo Newspaper (@ElMundoSV) April 24, 2026
Some experts have pointed out that it could be one of the strongest in the last decade.
It has even been called the “Superchild”, although the WMO pointed out that it does not use that term because it does not belong to the official classifications.
Moufouma Okia did admit to journalists accredited to the UN in Geneva that a “strong” El Niño episode is expected in 2026.
The previous one, which influenced the global climate from 2023 to 2024, saw the two warmest years on record.
Although the WMO warns that global average temperatures are not only influenced by El Niño or its opposite phenomenon, La Niña, but also by man-made climate change.
The WMO also clarified that there is no indication that climate change will increase the frequency or intensity of El Niño events.
Although it “may amplify the associated effects,” including heat waves and torrential rains.
Heavy rains, droughts and hurricanes
🌎⚠️ WMO warns: El Niño could form between May and July 2026 and extend until the end of the year. Higher temperatures and extreme events such as heavy rains or droughts are expected.
More details: https://t.co/L6rNsak3x3#ElNiño #ClimateChange #Climate #WMO #WTO pic.twitter.com/eCOF6ZGiSZ
– LA TKLA 105.7 FM (@latklaec) April 24, 2026
It could be one of the strongest of the past decade
QuéOnnda.com
El Niño is also generally associated with increased precipitation in parts of South America, the United States, the Horn of Africa and Central Asia.
While it usually contributes to droughts in Australia and South Asia.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the accompanying warmer ocean temperatures “may intensify hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific”.
“And at the same time they hinder the formation of these in the Atlantic basin,” the UN meteorological agency analyzed.
In 2025, the opposite La Niña phenomenon prevailed, generally linked to a drop in temperatures, which weakened at the end of last year and the beginning of this one.
El Niño usually occurs at highly variable intervals, ranging from two to seven years.
Its duration also varies, although it is usually between nine and 12 months.
With information from EFE
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