Multiple forecasters and agencies report that El Niño has begun in the tropical Pacific and is rapidly strengthening, with expectations it may rank among the strongest events in the historical record. NOAA and other national and international updates say the coming event is likely to be very strong, with Live Science citing NOAA’s assessment that there is a sizable chance (63%) it will “rank among the largest” El Niño events since 1950. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) also issues guidance suggesting the event could be the strongest ever recorded, according to Live Science. The United Nations weather and climate agency, the WMO, warns that El Niño conditions are already under way and forecasts rapid development into a strong event during July–September, indicating high model agreement and confidence. WMO classifies the outlook as strong (third-highest category out of four) and expects El Niño to continue strengthening into Northern Hemisphere autumn, affecting temperatures and rainfall patterns globally. Sources also emphasize that El Niño can increase the likelihood of extreme weather—such as heatwaves, drought, and heavy rainfall—and that warm ocean waters can influence hurricane formation in the Pacific while potentially suppressing Atlantic hurricanes. While WMO says there is no evidence climate change increases El Niño frequency or intensity, it can amplify the impacts.