Strongest El Niño on record threatens Ireland with wetter, milder winter

The World Meteorological Organisation has warned the current El Niño is intensifying and could become the strongest ever recorded, driven by ocean temperatures up to 8 degrees above average in places. El Niño is a natural climate event occurring every 2-7 years, caused by heat building in the eastern equatorial Pacific and disrupting global weather patterns. It typically raises temperatures worldwide and can cause severe drought or flooding, particularly in regions with defined rainy seasons. For Ireland, Met Éireann forecasts wetter and milder conditions through late autumn and possibly winter, though Atlantic influences make predictions uncertain. After El Niño wanes from late spring 2027, a neutral period or cooling La Niña may follow.