Record El Niño: Kenyans fear floods in the rainy season
Forecasters warn this year's El Niño could be among the strongest on record, with heavy rain and flooding expected in Kenya. Residents fear the impact, according to the BBC News description.
Author: Thames Compass editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
Contents
Forecasters warn that El Niño in 2026 could be one of the strongest ever, with heavy rain and flooding expected in Kenya. This is based on the description of a BBC News report of 11 November 2026, in which people in the country speak of their fears about the impact.
What we know about the phenomenon
El Niño is a periodic, unusual warming of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific that affects weather in many parts of the world. The US agency NOAA announced the arrival of the phenomenon on 11 June 2026.
The UK's Met Office said on 22 September 2026 that sea-surface temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific had passed the levels recorded during any previous event. According to the Met Office, it is the strongest El Niño in the observational record. Prof Adam Scaife of the Met Office said the event had broken records before its peak, which is due later this year.
A UK government analysis says the peak is expected in December 2026.
Why Kenya
According to that analysis, the effects of El Niño are felt first in places such as India and the Sahel, and as the event develops, in the West Pacific, East Africa, Australia and South America. UK government documents describing Nairobi's climate also note that El Niño is usually linked to above-average rainfall in the so-called short rains, from October to December.
We could not access the full BBC text, so we are not giving details of the situation in Kenya, including the number of people at risk or any action by the authorities.
Effects on weather worldwide
The Met Office notes that an exceptionally strong El Niño can contribute to record global average temperatures in the year after its peak. It also stresses that scientists are still assessing whether the impacts will match its size.
What this means for you
The direct risk is mainly in East Africa. People planning to travel to Kenya or who have family there should follow local weather forecasts and the latest travel advice on the Foreign Office (FCDO) website. The effect of El Niño on UK weather is much less clear than in the tropics, and the sources cited do not set it out.
Sources
This article was prepared automatically by AI from the listed sources and published without prior editorial review. Spotted a mistake? Use the “Report an error in this article” button.
Photos
- Cover: „biking, street, flood, city, bike”, author: trilemedia, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
- Photo 1: „paris, city, cloudy day, stormy day, storm”, author: edmondlafoto, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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