Scientists monitoring Pacific Ocean temperatures say conditions are increasingly pointing toward the possible arrival of a “super” El Niño later this year, following months of unusually warm ocean readings across large portions of the globe.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, April 2026 recorded the second-highest sea surface temperatures ever observed, with daily averages nearing the record levels seen during 2024.
“Scientists have revealed an ominous sign that a ‘super’ El Niño is inching closer,” the Daily Mail reported.
El Niño is part of the naturally occurring El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle, which alternates between warmer El Niño phases and cooler La Niña phases every few years. During El Niño events, warmer Pacific Ocean waters spread eastward and release heat into the atmosphere, often affecting weather patterns around the world.
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Where ocean warming exceeds 2 degrees Celsius above average, scientists often classify the event as a “super El Niño.”
The Copernicus report found that average sea surface temperatures across much of the globe reached 21 degrees Celsius, or 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit, during April.
Forecasters currently estimate a 62% chance that the ongoing La Niña pattern could transition into El Niño conditions between June and August.
If a super El Niño develops, it would mark only the third such event in roughly the last 30 years. The most recent occurred during 2015-2016 and was one of the strongest ever recorded.
Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather warned that current indicators suggest this cycle could become especially powerful.
“El Niño is coming, and it is shaping up to be a big one,” Hausfather wrote on X.
He added that if stronger forecasts materialize, “2027 looks increasingly likely to set a new record, perhaps by a sizeable margin if we end up on the high end range of the El Niño forecasts.”
While scientists continue monitoring conditions in the Pacific, weather experts stress that El Niño and La Niña are natural climate cycles that have operated for thousands of years and periodically influence global temperatures, rainfall and storm patterns.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
