Britain braces for a winter of chaos: After two deadly storms, scientists warn record-breaking Super El Niño could bring even more destructive weather

Britain has already been battered by Storms Austen and Boelo in the past week, and forecasters are tracking a third system, Storm Chloe, as it heads towards the UK. Now, scientists warn these deadly storms could just be the start of a winter of chaos supercharged by El Niño. Experts say the powerful weather phenomenon threatens to unleash fierce winds, torrential rain and even snow across the UK over the next few months. Recent stormy conditions are broadly consistent with what would be expected during a strong El Niño year, they explained.

But with the climate event on track to be one of the most powerful recorded in living memory, it could wreak havoc on Britain's weather. 'The standard results from an El Niño for the UK are absolutely a warmer and stormier autumn, and then a colder and stormier winter,' Professor Ilan Kelman, a disaster and climate expert at University College London , told the Daily Mail. 'What El Niño does, it increases the likelihood that we will get more storms, and that they will be more intense.'

Britain's recent storms saw wind gusts of more than 70mph hitting exposed coastal areas. Pictured: A wave pounds the Porthcawl breakwater during Storm Boelo Storm Austen was the first named storm of the 2026 winter season. Experts warn worse could be yet to come, thanks to Super El Niño Professor Kelman explained that no individual storm can be blamed directly on El Niño or climate change. However the event – which is characterised by unusually warm waters in the Pacific – influences global climate systems, affecting everything from ocean temperatures to the jet stream and polar vortex.

And together, these changes can create conditions that favour more severe weather across Britain. 'Under El Niño, we typically get very intense and very frequent storms,' he said. 'The temperature tends to be milder, but we do get these storms, so people simply need to be ready for it.' While the recent storms have been destructive, Professor Kelman warned they may only be the beginning. 'We should be ready for cold and for storms from January to March,' he said. 'The expectation is with the colder El Niño… I think London should be ready for snow.'

He argued that the priority should be ensuring communities are prepared for increasingly extreme weather – especially families who already struggle to make ends meet. 'Of course they're going to be in trouble when there's a storm,' he said. 'Of course they're going to have difficulties when there's snow. 'Of course they're going to lose income and not be able to feed themselves when they can't get to work because of weather. That is what worries me.'

Experts believe the turbulent weather may reflect the influence of a strengthening El Niño. Pictured: Storm Boelo over the UK Britain's recent storms – Austen and Boelo – saw wind gusts of more than 70mph hitting exposed coastal areas, damaging buildings and forcing the cancellation of transport services. Several people lost their lives after falling trees, flooding and storm–related incidents struck parts of England, Scotland and Wales, while thousands of homes suffered power cuts and major roads and rail lines were disrupted.

Rivers burst their banks in some areas after days of relentless downpours, prompting flood warnings and evacuations as emergency services responded to dozens of incidents. Other experts also believe the turbulent weather may reflect the influence of a strengthening El Niño. Dave Throup, a flooding expert and former Environment Agency manager, wrote on X: '2026/27 storm season off to a flier with two named storms in 48 hours. 'Big El Niño years increase the chances of a storm autumn in the UK, and this year's a record breaker.'

Peter Frankopan, an Oxford University historian whose work examines how climate and environmental change have shaped human history, also said that El Niño's effects can ricochet around the globe. 'The consequences can extend thousands of miles beyond the Pacific, including the British Isles because of the disruptive effects El Niño can have on the Atlantic jet stream – meaning stronger winds, worse storms and more rain,' he wrote in The Spectator. 'Over the weeks ahead, El Niño will increase the likelihood of wetter, windier conditions as Atlantic storms sweep across the country, bringing heavy rainfall and an increased risk of flooding, particularly in western Britain.'

The Super El Niño is becoming 'unprecedented in strength', new figures released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) have revealed A spokeswoman for the Met Office said: 'The recent succession of storms followed a shift to a more active jet stream across the North Atlantic, with its position and strength helping to steer and develop low–pressure systems moving towards the UK. 'El Niño can influence the likelihood of certain weather patterns in the UK and Europe, including favouring a wetter and windier start to winter and cooler, drier conditions later in the season. 'However, El Niño is only one of several atmospheric and oceanic influences on our weather, and it is not possible to directly attribute the recent storms to El Niño.'

Last week , new figures released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed that Super El Niño is becoming 'unprecedented in strength'. According to the latest Global Seasonal Climate Update, sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific – the epicentre of El Niño – could rise by as much as 3.8°C above average during November 2026 to January 2027. For reference, the WMO declares an El Niño when the sea surface temperature anomaly in this region is just 0.5°C. 'This is literally off the monitoring charts that we have used for the past four decades,' World Meteorological Organisation Secretary–General Celeste Saulo said. 'El Niño will peak towards the end of 2026 but its impacts will be felt long after that.'

WHAT IS THE EL NINO PHENOMENON IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN? El Niño and La Niña are the warm and cool phases (respectively) of a recurring climate phenomenon across the tropical Pacific - the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. The pattern can shift back and forth irregularly every two to seven years, and each phase triggers predictable disruptions of temperature, winds and precipitation. These changes disrupt air movement and affect global climate.

ENSO has three phases: El Niño : A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall becomes reduced, while rainfall increases over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the Equator, instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction from west to east. La Niña : A cooling of the ocean surface, or below-average SST, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to increase, while rainfall decreases over the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The normal easterly winds along the Equator become even stronger. Neutral : Neither El Niño or La Niña. Often tropical Pacific SSTs are generally close to average. Source: Climate.gov