A powerful El Niño is strengthening, and it is arriving in a world that is already hotter. The climate pattern reshapes rainfall and temperatures across several major food-producing regions. It raises the risk of drought, floods, and failed harvests in the months ahead. UN experts note that this event is building on a much higher baseline than before. A warmer planet, they warn, will magnify many of its impacts.
Unlike most disasters, however, El Niño announces itself as it develops across the Pacific. That gives governments precious time to protect crops and prepare food supplies, if they choose to act. Weather agencies expect this El Niño to reach their top classification for strength. It should peak toward the end of the year, but experts stress that the peak is a forecast, not a finish line. The impacts on farming and food security will continue well beyond it.