Typhoon Sinlaku reached 215 km/h sustained winds and 905 hPa central pressure earlier this year — a super typhoon by every meaningful measure. Coverage in Western media: essentially none.
The same El Niño that suppresses the Atlantic supercharges the Pacific. Mexico’s National Meteorological Service forecasts a well-above-average Eastern Pacific season. The Western Pacific typhoon season is also expected to ramp up.
NOAA forecasts 8–14 named storms for the 2026 Atlantic season, beginning 1 June. El Niño suppresses development. Below average is welcome news for coastal communities — and statistically irrelevant if your town is the one storm finds.
NOAA has issued an El Niño Watch. The 2025–26 La Niña has ended. There is now an 82 percent chance El Niño emerges by July and a 96 percent chance it persists through next winter. The world’s weather is about to be rearranged.