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World Service,02 Jun 2026,10 mins

What Is El Ni帽o? And why it could cause chaos this year

What in the World

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New forecasts show that the developing El Ni帽o in the tropical Pacific Ocean could be one of the strongest on record. The weather phenomenon could be so strong, scientists and the UN are describing it as a 鈥淪uper El Ni帽o鈥 or 鈥淕odzilla El Ni帽o.鈥 And with that comes warnings of record global temperatures and huge potential humanitarian impacts. But what exactly is El Ni帽o and its sister phenomenon La Ni帽a? 麻豆社 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鈥檙e being affected. 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

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