El Niño May Be Back This Summer, Bringing Drought and Floods

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Eric NiilerFebruary 12, 2026 at 08:54 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

El Niño, a Pacific Ocean weather pattern characterized by warm water, is predicted to return this summer, according to NOAA. The phenomenon, which occurs every three to seven years, could bring extreme weather events globally. While the strength of this El Niño is uncertain, it has the potential to cause heavy rainfall, powerful storms, and drought in various regions. Historically, El Niño has been linked to wetter winters in the Southern U.S. and drier conditions in the North, as well as impacting monsoons in India and causing drought in Australia and Southeast Asia. However, it can also suppress hurricane development in the Atlantic. Scientists will continue to refine forecasts in the coming months.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

University of California, San Diego 30% Shang-Ping Xie 30% Atlantic Ocean 30% Australia 40% India 40% United States ×250% Michelle L’Heureux ×250% Climate Prediction Center ×250% South America 60% Pacific Ocean ×370% National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ×280% El Niño ×9100%

Keywords

el niño 100% weather pattern 80% drought 70% floods 70% climate 60% pacific ocean 50% storms 50% global temperatures 50% trade winds 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

New York Times - World

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.30)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Pacific Ocean

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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el niño weather pattern drought floods climate pacific ocean storms global temperatures trade winds

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