El Nino reaches super status: Where will it bring rain, drought and heat?

A powerful El Nino is taking shape in the Pacific, and it is reshaping weather across the globe.El Nino is a natural climate pattern caused by warmer-than-usual water in the central and eastern Pacific.Data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released on September 14, 2026, shows El Nino has breached the temperature rise threshold of 2C (3.6F), thus becoming “very strong”, informally known as a super El Nino.This year’s El Nino began developing in June 2026 and is expected to peak by early 2027, with forecasters warning it could be one of the strongest ever recorded. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expects it to persist through March-May 2027.According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), El Nino happens every two to seven years. It usually starts between March and June, peaks between November and February, and can last up to 18 months.How could El Nino affect your country?A very strong El Nino tends to bring heavier rain to East Africa, South America and the southern US, drought to South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Southern Africa, as well as warmer temperatures almost everywhere.Select your country from the dropdown b...