El Niño is coming

Most of the time, Pacific trade winds blow from east to west along the equator, blowing warm water from South America toward Asia. This pulls cooler ocean water up from below the surface near South America. That cooler water is nutrient-rich, feeding the phytoplankton that are the base of the food chain for many marine species.

But during an El Niño,[1] which on average occurs about every two to seven years, the trade winds weaken and that warm water stays near South America. Warmer water means less phytoplankton, which means fewer of the fish that depend on it for food, which means fewer of the predators that eat those fish.

An El Niño also shifts the Pacific jet stream south, making weather in Canada and the northern United States warmer and dryer than normal, while making weather in the southwestern United States and along the Gulf Coast wetter than normal.

The Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that an El Niño is coming later this year, and predicts that there is about a 67% chance that this one will be strong or very strong. That likely means higher temperatures and drought for Canada and the northern United States—a combination that promotes wildfires—while southern portions of the United States will probably see heavy rains, severe storms, and flooding.

The impact of an El Niño is made more severe by climate change. Our heavy use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) is steadily increasing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other so-called “greenhouse gases” (like methane) in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat which would otherwise escape into space, and that is warming the planet and disrupting weather patterns. A warmer planet obviously makes heat waves worse, which in turn makes droughts more severe. In addition, since warmer air can hold more moisture, storms which feed on that moisture become more dangerous.

None of this should come as a surprise because all of this is what climate scientists have been telling us for many years.To learn more about what climate change is, how it is impacting our world, and how it might be fulfilling biblical prophecy, please read Chapter 11 of my book, Beyond Blind Faith, entitled “Apocalypse Soon.” You can read it in its entirety for free on this website. Just click here, or click on “Don’s Books” at the top of this page and scroll down to the “List of Contents” under my book, Beyond Blind Faith.

[1]. This blog entry is based in part on the following online resources:

“El Niño is coming faster than expected and chances are rising that it will be historically strong,” by Meteorologist Chris Dolce, updated May 14, 2026, found at: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/14/weather/super-el-nino-climate

“What are El Niño and La Niña?,” found at: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html