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An upcoming El Niño could become the most destructive weather event since the 1870s, according to experts.
Scientists are warning that we could be set to face a time of chaos due to extreme weather.
An El Niño is a complex climate pattern which involves the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern part of the Pacific Ocean.
This leads to knock-on effects with weather globally, including the shifting of rainfall patterns, leading to floods and droughts in certain areas.
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Now, we could be set to see another El Niño occur, with a report by The Washington Post suggesting that this could be the strongest one since the 1870s.
The shift in ECMWF Nino 3.4 solidly into record territory reflects the additional momentum injected into the ocean over the last month. The model isn't well simulating the subseasonal wind stress signals, but once these signals are integrated into the model ocean, amplitude… pic.twitter.com/qtk0m8SPcX
— Paul Roundy (@PaulRoundy1) May 5, 2026
This comes after Paul Roundy, who is a professor of atmospheric science at the State University of New York at Albany, took to social media to share his thoughts on the matter.
On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “The shift in ECMWF Nino 3.4 solidly into record territory reflects the additional momentum injected into the ocean over the last month. The model isn't well simulating the subseasonal wind stress signals, but once these signals are integrated into the model ocean, amplitude expresses. Confidence is clearly shifting higher on potentially the biggest El Niño event since the 1870s. The next substantial westerly wind event will likely occur during the last 10 days of May.”
Speaking to the Post, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, stated: “El Niño patterns are correlated with food shortages, water impacts and even civil conflict in tropical countries.
“So these natural patterns of variability, as short-lived as they are, still have a profound impact on human society and human well-being.”
This isn’t the first weather warning of this kind to be issued this year as, back in March, a so-called ‘Godzilla’ storm was predicted to occur this year.
YouTuber David Schlotthauer posted a video titled ‘a GODZILLA El Nino Is Coming This Fall 2026!’, detailing how oceanic and atmospheric signals continue to show a rapidly strengthening El Niño pattern developing for later this year.
In the video description, he warned: “A strong El Niño can dramatically reshape the jet stream, increase storm activity across parts of the southern United States, and alter global weather patterns for months.”
Many people took to social media to share their own reactions to the news, with one user writing on Reddit: “El Niño has built up rapidly this past 7 days in the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific, especially in the easternmost quarter where Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) have risen over 2 degrees C in some locations as eastward moving and rising warm water reached the surface.”
And another added: “Mother nature reminding us who holds all the cards.”
