El Niño Set to Reach Record Strength Before Winter 2026-27
Listen to the story
Forecasters say El Niño is growing stronger and could reach record strength before winter 2026-27. The event is already influencing weather patterns around the world.
El Niño is a natural climate pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean. It happens when surface water in the equatorial Pacific becomes warmer than average, which changes air and ocean currents worldwide.
According to a new fall outlook, this El Niño is taking charge of both temperature and precipitation patterns across many regions. An outlook is a scientific estimate of expected conditions in the coming months.
Experts describe this event as a possible record-setting El Niño, meaning it could become one of the strongest ever measured. Such strong events often cause noticeable shifts in global weather, including warmer or cooler regions and changes in rainfall.
Because El Niño affects global weather systems, scientists say this forecast offers an early look at what winter temperatures might be like. Monitoring ocean temperatures helps researchers predict how strong the event will become.
The climate pattern has both warming and cooling effects depending on location, and scientists continue to track its development closely as winter approaches.
Vocabulary10 words
- El Niño
- a climate pattern caused by warm ocean water in the Pacific
- Pacific Ocean
- the largest ocean, located between Asia and the Americas
- outlook
- a prediction about future conditions
- temperature
- a measure of how hot or cold something is
- precipitation
- rain, snow, or other water falling from the sky
- record
- the highest or strongest level ever measured
- forecast
- a prediction, especially about weather
- global
- affecting the whole world
- climate
- the usual weather conditions in an area over time
- pattern
- a way something regularly happens or repeats
Quiz
Answer key
1. A strengthening El Niño 2. The Pacific Ocean 3. It could become one of the strongest on record
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Forecasters say _____ is growing stronger.
It could reach record strength before winter 2026-27.
El Niño is a natural _____ pattern in the Pacific Ocean.
It happens when surface water becomes _____ than average.
This changes air and ocean _____ worldwide.
This El Niño is taking charge of temperature and _____ patterns.
An outlook is a scientific estimate of expected _____.
Experts describe this event as a possible _____-setting El Niño.
Such strong events often cause shifts in global _____.
Scientists say this forecast offers an early look at winter _____.
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