A rare Super El Niño may occur in 2026, potentially breaking global temperature records and altering weather patterns globally. The warm and cool stages of a natural climatic pattern that occur throughout the tropical Pacific are known as El Niño and La Niña, respectively. A typical El Niño is defined as an anomaly above +0.5°C for five consecutive months. Above +1.5°C is a "strong" event. At +2.0°C or above, the event earns the informal title of "Super El Niño".