The Pacific region has officially entered El Niño, a cyclical weather pattern that results in increased global temperatures and hotter oceans, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday.
In its official report, NOAA stated that there was a 63% chance of sea surface temperatures exceeding 2.0° in the region, with the possibility of these higher temperatures causing the event to be considered a “very strong” El Niño.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center reported that this El Niño could be among the strongest in the historical record, going back to 1950.
“Every El Niño is not the same; each one is unique with its own imprint on our weather,” said Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS). “Advanced monitoring and an improved understanding of El Niño patterns allow the NWS to better predict and better prepare the public and our core partners for what is to come.”
El Niño events typically occur every two to seven years, on average, and last for between nine and 12 months. In some cases, however, the events can instead last for years.
This El Niño comes as the world continues a streak of exceedingly warm years, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reporting in January that 2025 had been one of the three warmest years on record, the other top two being 2023 and 2024.
Amid this, last month Israel voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution backing a World Court opinion that countries have a legal obligation to address climate change.
The resolution, brought by the Pacific island of Vanuatu, affirms a July 2025 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that states are obligated to reduce fossil fuel use and tackle global warming.
Israel and the United States joined Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Yemen, Liberia, and Belarus in opposing the resolution. COP31 climate summit host Turkey, India, and oil producers Qatar and Nigeria were among those abstaining.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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