El Niño

American  

[el neen-yoh, el nee-nyaw] / ɛl ˈnin yoʊ, ɛl ˈni nyɔ /

noun

1. a warm ocean current of variable intensity that develops after late December along the coast of Ecuador and Peru and sometimes causes catastrophic weather conditions.

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El Niño British  

/ ɛl ˈniːnjəʊ /

noun

1. meteorol a warming of the eastern tropical Pacific occurring every few years, which alters the weather pattern of the tropics

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El Niño Scientific  

/ ĕlnēn′yō /

1. A warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every 4 to 12 years and causing unusual global weather patterns. An El Niño is said to occur when the trade winds that usually push warm surface water westward weaken, allowing the warm water to pool as far eastward as the western coast of South America. When this happens, the typical pattern of coastal upwelling that carries nutrients from the cold depths to the ocean surface is disrupted, and fish and plankton die off in large numbers. El Niño warming is associated with the atmospheric phenomenon known as the southern oscillation, and their combined effect brings heavy rain to western South American and drought to eastern Australia and Indonesia. El Niño also affects the weather in the United States, but not as predictably.

2. Compare La Niña

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El Niño Cultural  

1. A warming of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring every four to twelve years when cold water does not rise to the surface, causing unusual weather patterns. The warmer water kills fish and plankton, brings heavy rains to western South America, and causes drought in eastern Australia and Indonesia.

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Etymology

Origin of El Niño

< Spanish: literally, the child, i.e., the Christ child, alluding to the appearance of the current near Christmas

Example Sentences

Cocoa futures prices have been climbing, having only recently returned to the levels seen before the last El Niño.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

El Niño occurs every few years when trade winds of the tropical Pacific weaken and the ocean warms up.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Forecasters have calculated that the El Niño factor is likely to be strong enough to keep hurricane activity below average overall - but there are still big uncertainties.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

However, balanced against that is the growing chance of a strong El Niño.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

The contents of Abuelita’s bulto looked like it may have belonged to El Niño Fidencio, the famous curandero of olden times, and I watched in awe as she sorted the ingredients for Pita’s treatment.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall