El Niño Confirmed to Have Started, With Warnings of Potentially Historic Intensity
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- El Niño has officially begun, with a Brazilian meteorological consultancy warning it could become one of the most intense on record.
- Uruguayan meteorologists anticipate above-normal rainfall and higher temperatures, particularly in spring and early summer.
- This
El Niño has officially begun, according to a new analysis by Brazilian meteorological consultancy MetSul. The firm warns the phenomenon could become one of the most intense in modern history during the second half of 2026.
El Niño has begun, and it could become one of the most intense in modern history during the second half of 2026.
This assessment aligns with prior warnings from Uruguay's Institute of Meteorology (Inumet) and local specialists. They anticipate a scenario of above-normal rainfall and historically high temperatures in the coming months, especially during spring and early summer.
MetSul states that oceanic and atmospheric conditions now meet the criteria for an El Niño episode in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The firm suggests that the rapid warming of these waters could lead to a "Super El Niño," potentially rivaling or surpassing the major events of 1982-1983 and 1997-1998.
one of the effects most characteristic of El Niño in Uruguay is the increase in temperatures during the winter, in addition to a greater probability of precipitation above normal between October, November and December, and even until January.
Inumet president Madeleine Renom previously explained that El Niño typically brings increased winter temperatures to Uruguay and a higher likelihood of above-normal precipitation from October to January. Professor Marcelo Barreiro of the University of the Republic's Faculty of Sciences noted that the impacts are usually strongest in spring and early summer but could extend into autumn 2027.
the impacts usually feel stronger during spring and early summer, and could also extend to the autumn of 2027.
Uruguayan specialists agree that El Niño generally favors wetter periods across much of the country, with more significant effects north of the Río Negro. Meteorologist Mario Bidegain had previously cautioned that some climate models projected Pacific Ocean temperature anomalies exceeding 3°C in the last quarter of the year, a level that could classify the phenomenon as exceptional. He recalled that such "Super El Niño" events are rare and often associated with intense rainfall, flooding in riverside cities, and impacts on agriculture and tourism.
It could be a historic event.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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