# El Niño Storms and Climate Warnings

> El Niño's extreme weather threatens global flooding and heatwaves this fall.
- Title: El Niño Storms and Climate Warnings · Slate Magazine
- Summary: El Niño's extreme weather threatens global flooding and heatwaves this fall. El Niño's strongest on-record event risks 451,000 deaths by February as it fuels…
- Keywords: el niño, nor'easter, hawai'i, australia, brazil, indonesia, drought, famine, heat waves, wildfires, 451000, february
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/el-nino-weather-storms-rain-flooding.html?via=rss
- Author: Ian Prasad Philbrick
- Published: 2026-09-28T21:15:36+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: el niño, nor'easter, hawai'i, australia, brazil, indonesia, drought, famine, heat waves, wildfires, 451000, february
## El Niño Basics
El Niño is a climate pattern that warms the Pacific Ocean every few years around Christmastime.

> El Niño de Navidad
## El Niño's Name Origin
South American fishermen named it El Niño de Navidad, meaning 'the Christmas Child' in Spanish.

> El Niño de Navidad
## This Year's El Niño
Scientists forecast this year's El Niño could be the strongest on record, spiking sea temperatures far above normal.

> strongest on record
## Storm Link to El Niño
El Niño shifts the Pacific jet stream south, helping nor’easters form off the southeastern U.S. and travel up the Eastern Seaboard.

> shifts the Pacific jet stream south
## El Niño's Global Impact
Warmer seas fuel Pacific hurricanes, threatening flooding in Hawai'i and Mexico this week.

> Pacific hurricanes
## Drought and Famine Risks
Drought is straining crop yields in Africa, Central America, and India, threatening famine by February.

> drought is already strangling crop yields
## Global Death Toll
Scientists project El Niño could kill 451,000 people worldwide by February.

> 451,000 people worldwide
## Key takeaway

El Niño's strongest on-record event risks 451,000 deaths by February as it fuels extreme weather worldwide.