El Niño Intensifies: Forecast Predicts Historic Weather Changes Ahead
By Editor • September 10, 2026 • 1 min read
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center has issued a stark warning regarding the intensifying El Niño phenomenon, predicting a stronger-than-usual impact on weather patterns across the United States. According to their latest forecast, there is now over a 90% likelihood that this year’s El Niño will reach unprecedented strength during the fall and winter of 2026-27.
Forecasters emphasize that the upcoming October to December 2026 season could witness a historic El Niño event, with a 75% chance of surpassing the strength of any previously recorded instance since 1950. Jason Nicholls, AccuWeather's lead international forecaster, remarked, “The current El Niño is strong and will continue to strengthen over the coming months and has to be the strongest El Niño on record.”
As El Niño conditions develop, the ramifications are already being felt, particularly in Central America. Drought conditions linked to the phenomenon have devastated bean and corn crops in the region's Dry Corridor, exacerbating food and water insecurity for many rural families, according to Oxfam. Donald Keeney, an agricultural meteorologist at Vaisala Weather, reported, “We are currently seeing drier conditions across Central America, and that should continue for the next few months while we are in the El Niño influence.”
The effects of El Niño are not limited to Central America; they have also sparked concerns in global food markets, leading to rising prices for staple products like vegetable oils and sugar, as reported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Keeney anticipates that while warmer conditions will prevail in the coming month, a subsequent increase in rainfall is expected across the central and southern Plains, Delta, and Southeast later this fall and winter. This shift could bode well for winter wheat production in these areas.
Source: www.independent.co.uk
