{
  "id": 13747560,
  "title": "Amid Terrifying Readings, Experts Fear El Niño Is About to Wreak Havoc",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/amid-terrifying-readings-experts-fear-el-nino-is-about-to-wreak-havoc",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-11T16:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Futurism",
    "slug": "futurism",
    "url": "https://futurism.com/science-energy/experts-fear-el-nino-wreak-havoc"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a concerning development, climate experts are warning that the upcoming \"super\" El Niño, forecasted to be the strongest in over half a century, could wreak havoc worldwide. The Pacific region is experiencing unusually high sea temperatures, six degrees Fahrenheit above the norm, marking the highest on record. This intense heat, considered the strongest indicator of El Niño's strength, has led the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency to increase its prediction of its intensity from 75 percent to 83 percent.\n\nDaniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, expressed concern, stating, \"The warning lights are flashing… This extreme El Niño event will have widespread global impacts.\" He emphasized that this event is unprecedented in the context of our rapidly warming climate.\n\nThe El Niño phenomenon, which occurs roughly every two to seven years, is marked by surging surface temperatures in the Pacific. This triggers a reversal in the trade winds along the equator, pushing warm water towards the west coast of the Americas. The result is a barrage of storms and significant disruptions to weather patterns globally. One of the most critical impacts is the disruption El Niño causes to precipitation patterns, leading to droughts in some regions and heavy rainfall in others, thereby severely disrupting agriculture.\n\nThe World Meteorological Organization has warned that the peak of this El Niño could occur as early as December, with temperatures expected to rise to 8.66 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, the highest since records began. The University of Chicago's Climate Impacts Lab has estimated that this El Niño could cause 451,000 excess-heath deaths worldwide.\n\nUNICEF has also sounded the alarm, predicting that the event could expose hundreds of millions of children to dangerous conditions, both drier and wetter. Executive Director Catherine Russell stated, \"With over 347 million children living in areas expected to experience drier or wetter conditions because of El Niño, we must act now to protect communities and children.\" The scale of potential global impact is alarming, reminiscent of the 1877 El Niño, which triggered a global famine that killed over 50 million people.",
  "summary": "\"The warning lights are flashing.\" The post Amid Terrifying Readings, Experts Fear El Niño Is About to Wreak Havoc appeared first on Futurism .",
  "key_points": [
    "Upcoming El Niño forecasted to be strongest in over 50 years",
    "Pacific region temperatures 6°F above norm, highest on record",
    "Peak could occur in December, causing 451,000 excess deaths"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}