{"id":579240,"date":"2026-08-24T22:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T22:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/579240\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T22:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T22:44:14","slug":"five-things-to-know-about-how-record-breaking-el-nino-will-affect-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/579240\/","title":{"rendered":"Five things to know about how record-breaking El Ni\u00f1o will affect us"},"content":{"rendered":"

Months out from its projected peak, El Ni\u00f1o is already helping push ocean temperatures into record territory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Kevin Trenberth for The Conversation<\/p>\n

July brought the highest global sea-surface temperatures ever recorded for that month, partly fuelled by the fast-developing climate pattern. The latest forecasts<\/a> suggest there is much more to come.<\/p>\n

So, what exactly is El Ni\u00f1o, why is this one potentially so significant and what could it mean for New Zealand? <\/p>\n

Here are five things to know.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o begins with a huge shift in ocean heat<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o is a natural climate pattern involving unusual warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, accompanied by changes in winds and atmospheric circulation.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the process normally works. The sun heats the tropical ocean, while trade winds push warm surface water westward across the equatorial Pacific, causing it to pile up around Indonesia, northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Cooler water rises from below in the eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n

This build-up means sea levels in the western Pacific \u201cWarm Pool\u201d average about 60cm higher than in the eastern Pacific off South America. Without the trade winds holding it there, that warm water would flow back eastwards. But there is a limit to how much can build up.<\/p>\n

Exactly how an El Ni\u00f1o gets underway varies, with weather and tropical storms sometimes weakening the tradewinds and providing the trigger. Once it begins, warm water starts surging back eastwards across the Pacific.<\/p>\n

It can take two to three months to cross the ocean, shifting thunderstorms and rainfall as it goes and influencing weather patterns far beyond the tropical Pacific.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o events typically occur every two to seven years, most commonly every three to five. Sea temperatures typically peak around December, with the biggest atmospheric effects occurring around February the following year.<\/p>\n

This El Ni\u00f1o will be one for the record books<\/p>\n

By December 2025, the tropical Pacific was already primed for an El Ni\u00f1o. Westerly wind bursts associated with tropical storms then helped set things in motion, with subsequent surges reinforcing warming towards South America.<\/p>\n

Signs of a major event emerged early this year. Former NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll raised the prospect in February, and by July was warning it could become a very strong \u2013 or \u201csuper\u201d \u2013 El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ocean has flipped from La Ni\u00f1a to a fast-intensifying El Ni\u00f1o in a matter of months, with more profound impacts expected for New Zealand. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Current forecasts suggest the event will continue strengthening towards the end of the year, with sea-surface temperatures in key parts of the tropical Pacific reaching more than a record 3C above average.<\/p>\n

It will push global temperatures even higher<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o is unfolding against a backdrop of human-caused warming<\/a>, with global ocean heat content reaching record levels in every year from 2017 to 2025.<\/p>\n

A 1997-98 event contributed to 1998 becoming the warmest year of the 20th century. The 2015-16 El Ni\u00f1o pushed temperatures to another level, while records were reset again during the 2023-24 event.<\/p>\n

\"Daily<\/p>\n

Daily sea-surface temperatures across the world\u2019s oceans between 60\u00b0N and 60\u00b0S. The four warmest years are highlighted, including 2026 to date. Temperatures normally peak around March, at the end of the Southern Hemisphere summer, as most of the world\u2019s ocean lies south of the equator. (Source: The Conversation)<\/p>\n

Strong El Ni\u00f1o events release some accumulated ocean heat into the atmosphere, temporarily boosting global surface temperatures. Global temperatures can therefore resemble a staircase, with major El Ni\u00f1os helping push them onto successively higher steps.<\/p>\n

This developing El Ni\u00f1o could provide the next step, with record-high global temperatures possible in 2026 and even more likely in 2027.<\/p>\n

Exactly how climate change is affecting El Ni\u00f1o remains uncertain. But there are indications warming may be altering the phenomenon itself, potentially increasing the risk of very strong events.<\/p>\n

Its impacts will reach far beyond the Pacific<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o has profound consequences worldwide, influencing droughts, floods, storms and heatwaves, as well as agriculture, health, fisheries, wildfire risk and economic activity.<\/p>\n

Some effects are already emerging. Dry conditions have disrupted crops in parts of Southeast Asia and Central America, while the UN World Food Programme estimates El Ni\u00f1o could leave nearly 50 million more people facing acute hunger by year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

Much of El Ni\u00f1o\u2019s global reach comes from its influence on rainfall. Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific shift rainfall towards the ocean, often favouring drought on land. These changes alter atmospheric circulation and weather patterns much further afield, while increasing wildfire risk in dry areas.<\/p>\n

\"El<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o can influence wildfire risk in dry areas. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Changes in temperature and rainfall can affect diseases such as malaria, dengue and cholera. El Ni\u00f1o also shifts tropical cyclone activity, typically increasing it in central and eastern parts of the Pacific while suppressing it in the tropical Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Weakened upwelling off South America also reduces the supply of cold, nutrient-rich water, disrupting marine ecosystems and potentially causing dramatic declines in fisheries and seabird populations.<\/p>\n

The economic effects can linger for years, with the potential to cause trillions of dollars in losses.<\/p>\n

New Zealand could be in for a dry year<\/p>\n

New Zealand is already experiencing some effects of El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>, including the relatively sunny but cold southerly conditions seen through much of this winter.<\/p>\n

Unlike many parts of the world, New Zealand often experiences cooler conditions during El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

Strongest effects typically emerge later in the year. Across the Tasman, it can contribute to drought and wildfire risk in much of Australia, with smoke plumes from fires occasionally reaching New Zealand<\/a>.<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o tends to bring drier conditions to northeastern parts of New Zealand, particularly the North Island, while the southwest \u2013 including Fiordland and the West Coast \u2013 can become wetter.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This map shows summer rainfall during the strong 1997\u201398 El Ni\u00f1o, shown as a percentage of normal. Rainfall was well below normal across much of the north and east of both islands, while western and southern areas \u2013 particularly the lower South Island \u2013 were considerably wetter. (Source: The Conversation)<\/p>\n

Given the potential strength of this event, there is a real risk New Zealand could experience a so-called \u201cdry year\u201d, with consequences for agriculture and hydroelectric generation, and an increased risk of wildfires.<\/p>\n

Farmers and others exposed to these risks should prepare for the possibility of drought<\/a> as conditions develop.<\/p>\n

Kevin Trenberth is a distinguished scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research at the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau.<\/p>\n

This article was republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons licence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Months out from its projected peak, El Ni\u00f1o is already helping push ocean temperatures into record territory. By…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":579241,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[390,111,43,139,69,3393],"class_list":["post-579240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-climate-change","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-weather-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}