El Niño could bring more severe weather around the world

Some climate experts are keeping a close eye on the Pacific Ocean.

It’s all because of something called El Niño, which means “little boy” in Spanish.

El Niño is part of a natural climate cycle that occurs in a specific part of the Pacific Ocean every few years. 

Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S. monitor these ocean conditions very closely.

This year, they are predicting an El Niño, which has the chance to be a strong one — that happens when the water has a higher than normal surface temperature.

When the water surface temperatures are cooler, that causes a climate pattern called La Niña, or “little girl” in Spanish.

According to the NOAA, these climate patterns usually last for nine to 12 months, but can sometimes last years.

This is a very early forecast, which means things could change.

So experts will be keeping a close eye on conditions over the next few months.

They say we could transition to an El Niño by the summer.

What’s the impact of El Niño?

It means that 2026 and 2027 could be among the hottest years on record, according to Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, a non-profit climate organization.

“It seems like we’re in for a strong [El Niño] with a chance of a super strong El Niño event,” he told CBC News.

The peak of the El Niño is forecast to occur in November, when the ocean temperature is warmest.

“But El Niño tends to cause a global temperature increase a bit after,” Hausfather said.

That’s because heat that is usually stored in that part of the ocean is released into the atmosphere.

As a result, El Niño causes the global temperature to increase, in addition to the warming caused by climate change.

This can impact extreme weather events around the globe, from flooding in some regions to droughts in others.

Here in Canada, it typically means that conditions may be dryer and warmer than usual. 

These effects are usually felt in the winter.

Watch this video to learn how El Niño works:

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With files from Nicole Mortillaro/CBC
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Guillermo Arias/Getty Images