NOAA Issues El Niño Advisory As El Niño Rapidly Strengthens, Forecasting Global Weather Impacts

El Niño has officially begun, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an El Niño Advisory on Thursday morning, signaling that Earth has crossed a key threshold into El Niño territory.

“El Nino returns, likely will intensify into a strong event this year, NOAA says El Nino conditions are expected to strengthen in the coming months, NOAA said”

ABC News

The Washington Post describes a chain-reaction process in the atmosphere that is underway and will influence global weather patterns in the months ahead, while the BBC’s coverage of the same NOAA advisory frames the event as strengthening into a strong season.

ABC News

DW reports that Paul Roundy said there is "real potential for the strongest El Nino event in 140 years," and it adds that the World Meteorological Organization expects El Nino conditions to emerge soon and continue at least into winter.

The Washington Post also ties the shift to a global domino effect, while DW quotes NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Director Gavin Schmidt saying El Nino is "the first atmospheric domino to fall."

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is giving a 63% chance that this year’s El Niño will become "very strong," and the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center declared on Thursday that El Niño conditions have developed.

The San Francisco Chronicle says NOAA forecasts greater than 90% odds of a "strong" El Niño and a 63% chance of a "very strong" event by early winter, and it quotes NOAA saying that "That would rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950."

CNN

In California-focused reporting, KTLA says National forecasters put the odds at 63% for an “very strong” El Niño and adds that if it does reach “super” status, it "would rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950," the Climate Prediction Center said.

SFGATE quotes Alexander Gershunov saying, "El Niño kept brewing, and now the telltale signs have become strong signals," and it also includes Michelle L’Heureux’s email that "A stronger El Nino historically means an increased chance of above-average [precipitation] for California."

DW says El Nino could trigger drought, flooding, heat waves and disruptions to food and water supplies in multiple regions, and it warns that the consequences can persist long after the rain stops or reservoirs run dry.

“A potentially powerful El Nino developing in the Pacific Ocean could reshape weather patterns around the world in the coming weeks”

DW

In Honduras, DW reports that authorities estimate around 75 municipalities could face severe drought conditions and that Tegucigalpa has already declared a water emergency, while it also notes that El Nino can bring torrential rainfall and destructive flooding along parts of South America’s Pacific coast.

The Washington Post links the atmospheric shift to global temperatures, and it cites NOAA’s advisory as the basis for the months-ahead outlook, while ABC News quotes WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo saying, "We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Nino event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves."

For Ecuador, Primicias says NOAA’s announcement on Thursday, June 11, 2026, states El Niño could have several effects, and it reports that 17 provinces are under yellow alert and that the National Secretariat of Risk Management issued guidelines for local governments to develop action plans.