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2026 could be the hottest year with the potential return of El Niño

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The Editor

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There are more and more suspicions... Could the climate phenomenon El Niño be making a comeback in 2026? That's what scientists seem to suggest. As a result: potentially very high temperatures and violent weather events. 

As spring starts to show its face and the sun seems to have made a rather permanent return to our cities and lives, one question arises: what kind of summer season are we going to have? 2025 once again set a new heat record and ranked 4th among the hottest years ever recorded in France. So here we are in 2026, a bit puzzled, and the potential return of the El Niño phenomenon doesn't help things...

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Une publication partagée par Serge Zaka (@sergezaka)


A phenomenon with global consequences

Let us refresh your memory. El Niño is a climatic phenomenon that weakens the winds usually blowing across the tropical Pacific. The problem is, these winds play a vital role: they push warm waters toward the Asian side. Without these winds, the waters off the coast of South America remain warm, which has an unprecedented impact on the weather. It’s like a butterfly effect, as repercussions occur in all corners of the globe. The last El Niño episode took place between 2023 and 2024.


Almost certainly a record heat

« A new record year &ra. "Looking ahead? That's what Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus service, thinks when asked by AFP in January 2026 about the possible return of El Niño. As a result, 2026 could bring us particularly high temperatures, heatwaves throughout the summer, and numerous and destructive weather events.

«  That said, there is a possibility that 2026 could be the hottest year ever recorded, even without El Niño, due to the climate warming trend », adds Tido Semmler, climate scientist at the Irish meteorological service.