NASA satellites observe historic 2026 El Niño
NASA is monitoring a historic 2026 El Niño event, which is currently the strongest recorded since 1950. Satellite data shows significant changes in Pacific sea surface temperatures and wind patterns that impact global weather.
Why it matters
El Niño events have profound impacts on global agriculture, disaster management, and climate stability, making accurate tracking essential for public safety.
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Add to Preferred Sources Sea surface height in flux. Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio A phenomenon rarer than a solar eclipse and more powerful than any single storm system is unfolding this fall, and NASA is tracking it closely.
El Niño is a natural climate pattern that emerges roughly every two to seven years, marked by warmer-than-normal water temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific. NASA scientists are keeping watch as it flips trade winds, redistributes ocean heat, scrambles rain patterns and raises sea surface height across parts of the Pacific.
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