El Niño May Bring Wetter Winter to U.S. Southeast, California
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season has been notably quiet, with only five named storms and no hurricanes reported so far, according to the National Hurricane Center. Experts attribute this to the strengthening El Niño conditions, which have a 90% chance of becoming a very strong event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter, per the Climate Prediction Center. El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity while increasing storm activity in the eastern and central Pacific. Meteorologists predict that El Niño could lead to wetter-than-average conditions in California and the U.S. Southeast this winter, potentially alleviating drought conditions in these regions. Additionally, El Niño years are often associated with higher global temperatures, and 2027 could potentially become the warmest year on record due to residual heat energy from the current El Niño phase.
