El Niño Is Back. And Worse Than Ever.

El Niño definition and temperature thresholds3:59

• Chico Harlanassertion

  This year's El Niño could reach a three-degree temperature gap, which is beyond what has ever been seen before.

Mechanism of El Niño wind and ocean changes5:21

Normally, winds blow warm Pacific water away from South America toward Asia, allowing cold water to upwell. During El Niño, these winds slow or reverse, trapping warm water on the South American side and releasing massive heat into the atmosphere, which reorganizes global weather patterns.

Historical impacts of past El Niño events8:34

El Niño has influenced global civilizations for millennia, with the 1877 event coinciding with a famine that killed an estimated 50 million people across multiple continents. Scientists attribute that disaster to El Niño exacerbating pre-existing drought conditions.

Current El Niño severity and global impacts14:25

• Chico Harlanassertion

  Modern agricultural efficiency and planning mean the current El Niño will not cause mass starvation on the scale of the 1877 event.

• UN World Food Programclip

  An extra 50 million people will face food shortages due to this El Niño.

El Niño timing and record heat predictions15:47

El Niño typically lasts 12 to 15 months, but its most significant heat impacts often occur the following year. Experts are nearly certain that 2027 will be a record-breaking hot year, potentially by a large margin, as the delayed heat from the current event peaks.

Climate change amplification of El Niño17:09

• Chico Harlanassertion

  There is almost no scientific consensus on whether climate change is increasing the physical magnitude or frequency of El Niño events.

El Niño as a preview of future climate norms20:22

The extreme heat expected in 2027 due to El Niño will provide a brief preview of global temperatures that will become the norm by the mid-2030s due to human-caused climate change. The event unintentionally demonstrates the future baseline conditions humanity will face.

Florida Democratic primary progressive victory22:04

Democratic Socialist Congresswoman Angie Dickson won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Florida, defeating moderate Alex Vendman despite being outspent 16 to 1. She will face Republican Senator Ashley Moody in the general election.

Trump administration national forest logging plan22:59

• Trump administrationclip

  Repealing forest protections and building roads will thin forests and prevent wildfires.

• Expertsclip

  Building more roads inside forests draws more people whose actions cause most forest fires.