El Niño: What to expect
6/3/20269 min
The World Meteorological Organization said this El Niño is likely to strengthen over the rest of 2026, driving more extreme weather around much of the globe. El Niño is the name for a natural climate event where sea water temperatures rise in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. It creates unusually hot and stormy weather. Several forecasts from national weather agencies suggest it could end up as one of the strongest ever recorded – a possible so-called ‘super’ El Niño.
Learn about this story and learn some vocabulary from the headlines with Phil and Georgie.
Get a free worksheet for this episode to practise what you've learnt: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news\_2026/260603.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGeorgie· Host0:00
Listening, reading, speaking, writing. It takes a lot to learn a language. Find programs to boost each language skill on our website, whether it's learning about academic writing, practicing reading with exam-style questions, or beating speaking anxiety. Search programs by skill on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
Phil· Host0:23
From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
Georgie· Host0:30
In this program, the next El Niño could be the strongest in decades, UN warns.
Phil· Host0:36
[intro music] Hello, I'm Phil.
Georgie· Host0:42
And I'm Georgie.
Phil· Host0:43
In this program, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.
Georgie· Host0:50
You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
Phil· Host0:58
So, let's hear more about this story.
Georgie· Host1:01
A new phase of the natural El Niño weather pattern could begin in a few weeks, the UN has warned.
Phil· Host1:13
El Niño is the name for a natural climate event where sea water temperatures rise in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. It creates unusually hot and stormy weather.
Georgie· Host1:24
Several forecasts from national weather agencies suggest it could end up as one of the strongest