El Niño is reshaping global weather
Five ways El Niño is affecting the weather around the world
Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash
Warm-up
- What kind of weather is common in your country?
- Have you ever experienced a storm, flood or heatwave? What happened?
- How do you get weather news: TV, phone app or radio?
Vocabulary
- drought
- a long time with little or no rain
- wildfire
- a large fire that burns in forests or fields
- hurricane
- a very strong tropical storm with powerful winds
- monsoon
- the rainy season in parts of Asia
- rainfall
- the amount of rain that falls
- haze
- dirty or smoky air that makes it hard to see
- typhoon
- a very strong tropical storm in the western Pacific
- agency
- an official organisation that gives information or services
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishEl Niño is strengthening and is already affecting weather around the world. The World Meteorological Organization, the UN weather agency, says this very strong event will persist until at least 2027. Many places are seeing drought and heatwaves, while others are getting extreme rain.
Indonesia is battling its worst wildfire season since 2015. Since January, 895,657 hectares have burned, sending haze over Sumatra and Kalimantan and closing schools.
In the eastern Pacific, hurricane activity is surging: 22 named storms and 12 hurricanes, including 10 major. Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified over very warm water. By contrast, the Atlantic is quiet, with only one hurricane, Isaias.
In India, monsoon rainfall is 13% below average, adding pressure on farms. In eastern China and Japan, strong typhoons are hitting. In August alone, 10 typhoons formed in the western Pacific, the most in one month for 60 years.
Comprehension
- What does the World Meteorological Organization say about this El Niño?
- How much land has burned in Indonesia since January?
- How active is the eastern Pacific hurricane season so far?
- How does the Atlantic hurricane season compare?
- What weather change is India seeing with its monsoon?
Grammar focus
Present continuous
Use am/is/are + verb-ing for actions happening now or around now, and for changes in progress. Form: am/is/are + verb-ing.
- El Niño is strengthening.
- Many places are seeing drought and heatwaves.
Grammar exercise
Complete the sentences with the present continuous form.
- Forecasters (track) ___ storms right now.
- Many areas (get) ___ heavy rain this week.
- Fire crews (battle) ___ fires at the moment.
- A warm ocean (power) ___ hurricanes today.
- Schools (close) ___ because of haze today.
Discussion
- Which El Niño effect in the text surprises you most? Why?
- How could people prepare for droughts or heatwaves in your area?
- What information do you want from weather warnings?
- Should schools or offices close during severe storms? Why or why not?
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