A 'Monster' El Niño Is Brewing in the Pacific

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

An El Niño is starting to form in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and some forecasters say it could be a “monster,” the most powerful in 150 years. The weather system could trigger potentially catastrophic heat waves, flooding and drought, with effects we could start to feel as early as this summer. We talk to science journalists about how this brewing El Niño could test our readiness for the chaos of a warmer climate, and answer your questions about its potential impacts here in California and beyond. Guests: David Wallace-Wells, science writer and essayist, The New York Times Opinion Bill McKibben, co-founder, climate activism group Third Act; author of more than 20 books, including "The End of Nature" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:05.0	Perhaps you've seen the headlines. Warning an El Nino is forming in the Pacific.
1:10.1	The climate pattern with the potential to cause disastrous weather events across the globe,
1:12.5	including extreme heat and drought in some places, and record rainfall and flooding in others. Forecasters are warning this
1:18.7	emerging El Nino could be historically strong, a super El Nino, maybe even a super duper one.
	...

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