'Behemoth' 2026 El Niño to upend weather, UN warns
The United Nations has warned that the 2026 El Niño event is expected to be a 'behemoth' of unprecedented strength, likely causing extreme weather, droughts, and floods globally. Experts anticipate the event will peak late in 2026 with significant humanitarian and economic consequences.
Why it matters
The severity of this climate event threatens global supply chains, agriculture, and infrastructure, necessitating urgent international attention.
Hear this story The warnings about El Niño continue to roll in. The United Nations' weather agency weighed in on Oct. 21, calling the potent climate pattern a "behemoth" and a "wrecking ball."
"It will tear through Latin America, Eastern and Southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific with extreme heat, droughts and flood," the U.N.'s Tom Fletcher said, warning of profound humanitarian consequences.
El Niño, a natural warming of Pacific Ocean waters that affects weather and climate patterns worldwide, tends to cause higher global temperatures and disrupt rainfall patterns across large regions, meaning drought in some areas and heavy rains in others .
It triggers disruptive weather patterns that often impact agriculture, infrastructure and supply chains, potentially causing trillions of dollars in damages around the globe.
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