Japanese Agency Declares El Niño Onset in Pacific Ocean

The Japanese Meteorological Agency on June 10, 2026, formally declared the onset of the El Niño phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific. ” Thailand white rice prices rose 20 percent in May 2026; NOAA separately forecast fewer Atlantic storms than usual.

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 5 °C; a very strong event requires at least 2 °C. The last El Niño occurred in 2023-2024. The last very strong El Niño took place in 2015-2016.

Events typically appear every two to seven years and usually peak between December and January. ” During the pattern, trade winds that normally push warm water toward Asia weaken or reverse, allowing warm water to drift toward the Americas and heat large parts of the central and eastern Pacific. The Pacific Ocean covers around one-third of the planet’s surface.

NOAA expects 8 to 14 named Atlantic tropical storms from June through November 2026, compared with a historical average of approximately 14. 7 trillion in lost global GDP over five years.