What Is El Niño? And why it could cause chaos this year - What in the World, BBC World Service

A new phase of the natural El Niño weather pattern could begin in a matter of weeks, the UN has warned, boosting temperatures on our planet which is already under strain from climate change. New forecasts show that the developing El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean could be one of the strongest on record. The weather phenomenon could be so strong, scientists are describing it as a “Super El Niño” or “Godzilla El Niño.” And with that comes warnings of record global temperatures and huge potential humanitarian impacts. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM But what exactly is El Niño and its sister phenomenon La Niña? BBC Climate & Science correspondent Georgina Rannard breaks it down. She also explains the origins of their names, why it can lead to flooding in some regions and droughts in others, how it relates to climate change, and what people can to do prepare for its consequences. We also hear from Drishti in India and Santiago in the US for how they’re being affected. This episode has been edited and a video clip removed from our YouTube channel because of an incorrect figure. 0:00 Intro 0:58 Listeners on the ground: Drishti, India 1:51 Listeners on the ground: Santiago, USA 2:25 What is El Niño? 3:35 What impacts can it have? 4:58 Rainfall, flooding & drought 6:21 El Niño, La Niña, where do the names come from? 7:27 What is La Niña? 8:19 How do the cycles work? 8:48 The ‘Godzilla El Niño’: how serious is 2026? 10:03 Are we better prepared this year? Watch more episodes from What in the World here 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4eMOlGZclzdcHmv7s8BFQE6 Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Adam Chowdhury Video Producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Emily Horler ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽 https://www.instagram.com/bbcworldservice Twitter 👉🏽 https://twitter.com/bbcworldservice Facebook 👉🏽 https://facebook.com/bbcworldservice BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #elniño #climatechange #wildfire