Archive: What is El Niño and How Might It Affect Our Weather This Year, September 10, 2026

Science UpdateAs of June 2026, NOAA officially announced that an El Niño has formed in the Pacific Ocean and it is predicted to be a strong one. What is an El Niño? How does El Niño impact weather in the U.S. and across the globe? What is a Super El Niño? We’ll learn how scientists monitor and predict these events as well as the weather outlook for the rest of the year as El Niño continues to develop.

Please join us for an insightful session with NCAR scientist, Dr. Clara Deser, senior scientist and former head of the Climate Analysis Section  at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.

Dr. Deser has spent her career studying global climate variability and change in observations and Earth System models, with an emphasis on interactions among the atmosphere, oceans and cryosphere. Recent projects include the role of internal variability in regional climate trends, the effects of projected Arctic sea ice loss on global climate, the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, and modes of decadal-multidecadal climate variability in the Atlantic and Pacific. 

After Q&A with Clara, learn about free online classroom resources for your students from the UCAR Center for Science Education Center related to today’s webinar.

All individuals receive a certificate of participation and 100 NSTA activity points for attending the live seminar and completing the end-of-program survey. A certificate of participation is not awarded for watching the recorded version of the program.

We invite you to register for upcoming web seminars at NSTA.

View the Archive Video

To view the presentation slides from the web seminar and related resources, visit the resource collection. Continue discussing this topic in the community forums.

Below are comments from individuals who attended the seminar:

  • "I enjoyed learning about El Niño and how it can affect the weather. I found it interesting to learn how changes in the Pacific Ocean can affect weather in different parts of the world."
  • "I loved that this was an opportunity to learn from a scientist in the field. The program deepened my knowledge, helped me generate new questions and provided me with resources to use in my classroom."
  • "It was interesting to see how El Nino happens and the records throughout the decades."

A certificate of attendance was deposited into participants' account page for completing the evaluation form at the end of the program.

For more information contact us.

NSTA Press produces classroom-ready activities, hands-on approaches to inquiry, relevant professional development, the latest scientific education news and research, assessment and standards-based instruction.

Learn More