weatherwest.com
El Niño, already near/at record intensity, will further strengthen to historic level and likely bring major California & SW U.S. winter impacts - Weather West
October 12, 2026 - Daniel Swain - A quick recap of the forecast vs real-world evolution of El Niño 2026 thus far An El Niño event officially developed in the tropical Pacific Ocean earlier this summer, and it has strengthened almost continually since that point. In fact, as of mid-October, the 2026 El Niño event has already become the strongest on record #
