2026 Could Bring the Strongest El Niño in Over 100 Years, UK Weather Agency Says

El Niño — a natural warming of Pacific Ocean waters that shifts global weather — is forecast to hit its highest intensity in over a century. The UK Met Office says Pacific waters are already 3°C warmer than normal and may peak at 3.9°C above average in November. For context, the 2015–16 El Niño peaked at 2.6°C, and El Niño officially starts at just 0.5°C above average.