This is a view of the exposed banks by low water levels at Lake Calima, in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in February 2016. High temperatures due El Niño drastically reduced the level of water in the reservoir. File Photo by Christian Escobar Mora/EPA
July 8 (UPI) -- A very strong El Niño is expected to increase the risk of extreme weather across South America in the coming months, with scientists warning of heavier rainfall in some regions, severe drought in others and higher global temperatures.
El Niño has already officially developed in the Pacific Ocean and forecasters say there is a strong possibility it will intensify into a historically powerful "Super El Niño" during the second half of 2026, with significant effects across Latin America.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that ocean-atmosphere coupling has been established, with a 63% chance the event will reach "very strong" or extreme intensity between November and January.
"A 'Super El Niño' is an event with exceptionally high intensity, in which sea surface temperatures rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius," Fabiola Barrenechea, executive director of the Intergeographic Foundation, told UPI.
