Story perspectives

Super El Niño Poised as Century’s Strongest, Threatening Global Heat

5/13/2026

Summary

El Niño Threatens

Scientists say the super El Niño could become the strongest of the century, threatening extreme heat, drought and floods in India.
The World Meteorological Organization expects El Niño to develop mid-year and raise global temperatures by up to 0.3 °F.
Jeff Berardelli of WFLA-TV warned the 2026 El Niño may produce weather never recorded in modern history.
The UK Met Office forecast says the El Niño could rival the catastrophic 1877 event.

Summary

Singh Warns

Deepti Singh, associate professor at Washington State University, warns that similar prolonged droughts could reappear if a super El Niño develops in the second half of 2026.
She says colonial policies in the 1870s worsened the famine during the 1877 super El Niño.
She notes that climate monitoring has advanced since the 1982-1983 super El Niño, allowing earlier warnings.
She warns that today’s hotter oceans could intensify extreme events beyond those of the 1870s.

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El Niño Threatens

Scientists say the super El Niño could become the strongest of the century, threatening extreme heat, drought and floods in India.
The World Meteorological Organization expects El Niño to develop mid-year and raise global temperatures by up to 0.3 °F.
Jeff Berardelli of WFLA-TV warned the 2026 El Niño may produce weather never recorded in modern history.
The UK Met Office forecast says the El Niño could rival the catastrophic 1877 event.

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