NASA publishes images of the El Niño phenomenon from 1997, 2015 and 2026 to show the magnitude of this year's event

NASA has published altimeter satellite images that capture the El Niño meteorological phenomenon in 1997, 2015 and 2026, three of the years in which this event has been most intense in recent years, to show the magnitude of this year's event.

The US space agency recalls that in 1997 and 2015, the impacts of El Niño "spread throughout the planet, from fires in Indonesia and the Amazon to crop failures due to drought in southern Africa, to heavy rains and coastal flooding in southern California."

According to NASA, "the current El Niño rivals these past phenomena of great magnitude."

Josh Willis, project scientist for sea level measurement missions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), recalls that each El Niño phenomenon has its own characteristics: "They are all different in terms of where they originate and how their impacts manifest themselves."

Altimetry satellites can track these differences by measuring the height of the sea surface. Since water expands as it warms, higher-than-normal sea levels in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific indicate heat buildup associated with El Niño.

"The unique thing about altimetry is that we have a 35-year record of almost identical satellites flying over practically the same Earth path, with each mission overlapping the next," explains Willis.

"This allows us to analyze historical data and compare this El Niño phenomenon with that of 1997. And, at this moment, everything indicates that it will be even more intense," says the expert.

Earlier this month there was an estimated 83% chance that this year's El Niño would be strong or very strong during the first three months of 2027. However, NASA says it remains to be seen how exactly the impacts will play out in the winter of 2026-2027 and beyond.