Here are the latest high-level updates on El Niño as of 2026:
- Global weather pattern status: The El Niño phase has been transitioning in recent years, with forecasts often indicating a return toward neutral conditions or a shift back toward La Niña later in the season, depending on oceanic and atmospheric indicators. This pattern typically influences warmer global temperatures and shifts in rainfall and drought risk across regions.[2][3]
- Short-term outlook (mid-2026): NOAA and other meteorological agencies have typically warned that the development of El Niño could occur in the May–July window, with associated impacts including warmer-than-average temperatures and potential changes to hurricane and drought risk in various basins.[2]
- Regional impacts: In many areas, El Niño tends to bring increased rainfall to parts of the Americas and Africa, while other regions may experience drier conditions or unusual temperature swings; exact effects depend on the intensity and location of the developing event.[1][8]
- Official sources to monitor: National Weather Service ENSO pages (for U.S. impacts and forecasts), NOAA Climate Prediction Center outlooks, and the World Meteorological Organization updates provide ongoing syntheses of ENSO status and anticipated hazards.[3][5][2]
If you’d like, I can pull the most recent agency outlooks for your location (SeaTac, WA) and summarize the short-term ENSO forecast and expected local weather impacts. I can also provide a brief, up-to-date bullet list of expected impacts on wildfire risk, rainfall, and temperature for the Pacific Northwest based on current ENSO projections.
Sources
Climate scientists estimate the warm weather pattern could begin to develop as early as May.
www.cbsnews.comThe 2023/24 El Niño event, which helped fuel a spike in global temperatures and extreme weather around the world, is now showing signs of ending. There is likely to be a swing back to La Niña conditions later this year, according to a new Update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The 2023/24 El Niño event is now showing signs of ending. WMO Update predicts at least 60% chance of La Niña during July-September Average global sea surface temperatures remain exceptionally high...
wmo.intEl Niño/La Niña Information
www.weather.govInformation about El Nino, what it is, possible impacts
www.weather.govEl Niño and La NiñaLatest status (December 2024) In the past month or so, sea surface temperatures of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific were near normal on the whole.
www.weather.gov.hkGeneva, 1 March 2023 (WMO) - A warming El Niño event may develop in the coming months after three consecutive years of an unusually stubborn and protracted La Niña which influenced temperature and rainfall patterns in different parts of the world, according to a new Update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
wmo.intEl Niño
www.fao.orgLast summer, hundreds of millions of people were faced with triple-digit temperatures across the U.S. This year, it could happen again. Officials from the National Weather Service and the CDC are already warning Americans about record-high temperatures in the coming months thanks to seasonal changes in the La Niña climate pattern. With these rising temperatures, there's also a higher risk of wildfires and droughts. Scott Dance, a climate reporter for The Washington Post, joined CBS News to...
www.cbsnews.comLatest news on El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño-La Niña climate pattern, which significantly alters global atmospheric circulation, affecting temperature
www.newsnow.co.ukThe current strong El Niño brewing in the Pacific Ocean shows no signs of waning, as seen in a new satellite image.
sealevel.nasa.gov