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Climate148 outlets ran this2 min read

El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts

The World Meteorological Organization warns of increased global temperatures and extreme weather risks.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
El Niño–Southern Oscillation

What this story says

  • The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) forecasts the current El Niño event will intensify and reach its peak in December 2026.
  • The WMO suggests the phenomenon could last until February 2027 and may rank among the strongest since 1950.
  • The strengthening El Niño is predicted to increase global temperatures and elevate the risk of droughts and floods globally.
  • Multiple news outlets reported on the WMO's forecast, with a focus on the timing of the peak and the potential intensity of the event.

Who covered it

Left 32%(19)Centre 33%(20)Right 35%(21)

Percentages are shares of the 60 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 88 of the 148 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

76/100

Craft

70/100

Hype

15/100

148 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 19 of the 60 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has predicted that the ongoing El Niño weather phenomenon will continue to intensify, reaching its peak in December 2026. The WMO also stated that the event could persist until February 2027 and may be one of the strongest recorded since 1950. This strengthening is expected to lead to an increase in global temperatures and raise the worldwide risk of droughts and floods.

Coverage

What the coverage left out

None of the digests mention the specific date of 29 July 2026 for the WMO's prediction, only that it was made on Thursday, 8 October. The digests also do not specify the exact year for the peak, stating December, though the WMO's prediction is for December 2026.

Tags:#ClimateChange#ElNino#WMO#ExtremeWeather#GlobalTemperatures

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 8 Oct 2026, 15:45, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

19 rated outlets

  • Left-rated outlets reported that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted El Niño would intensify and peak in December. The digests stated the phenomenon would continue until February.
  • Several left-rated digests noted the WMO's warning that this El Niño could be one of the most intense since 1950. One digest mentioned an increased probability of extreme heat waves.
  • The digests from these outlets did not mention specific temperature forecasts or economic impacts. They also did not quote any experts other than referencing the WMO.

Centre

20 rated outlets

  • Digi 24, Sud Ouest, France24, and Hola News, all rated centre, reported that the El Niño phenomenon is intensifying and will reach its peak in December. Digi 24 and Sud Ouest mentioned the potential for it to be one of the strongest on record. France24 and Hola News noted the WMO's warning that the event will increase global temperatures and the risk of droughts and floods, with France24 adding that its impact will aggravate man-made climate change effects.

Right

21 rated outlets

  • The seven right-rated digests led with the WMO's forecast of El Niño reaching record strength and the associated global risks. The Hindu Business Line mentioned the potential for record Pacific warmth and a possible twist from the Indian Ocean Dipole. The Nation and Anadolu Ajansı reported that the event's strengthening increases risks of extreme heat, drought, and flooding worldwide. Realitatea.net, dagelijksestandaard.nl, Nieuws.nl, and Reformatorisch Dagblad focused on the December peak and the possibility of it being one of the strongest since 1950. Free Malaysia Today News noted that the phenomenon is already affecting some regions, citing drought in Central America.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts?
Of the 60 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 32% are rated left, 33% are rated centre, 35% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 148. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 60 rated outlets on this story, 32% are rated left, 33% are rated centre, 35% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts biased?
El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts is one event reported by 148 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered El Niño to Intensify, Peak in December 2026, WMO Predicts?
148 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
When is the El Niño expected to peak?
The World Meteorological Organization predicts the current El Niño event will intensify and reach its peak in December 2026. This peak is expected to occur before the phenomenon potentially persists into February 2027.
How strong could this El Niño event be?
The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the current El Niño could be one of the strongest episodes recorded since 1950. This assessment is based on its rapid intensification and expected peak.
What are the predicted global impacts of this El Niño?
The WMO forecasts that the strengthening El Niño will increase global temperatures. It also warns of a heightened risk of extreme weather events worldwide, including droughts and floods.

Read it at the source

148 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

19
Show 11 more

Centre

20
Show 12 more

Right

21
Show 13 more

Not rated

88
Show 80 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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