El Niño raises the risk of a costly year of heat, floods, droughts and fires

Published by Albis · 16 Jun 2026

NOAA has confirmed El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific, with forecasters warning the event could become one of the strongest on record and intensify extreme weather risks across regions already exposed to climate stress

• • A severe fire year would strain infrastructure, health systems, and agricultural production across fire-prone regions.
• • Public-health transmission chain.
• • Insurance Journal and Carrier Management, both carrying reporting by Seth Borenstein, said meteorologists expect the event to grow toward historic strength.
• • The current event is forming in a world already warmed by fossil fuel pollution, which scientists say can make extreme weather more severe.