Homes and train tracks were destroyed when heavy rains caused a river to burst its banks in Chaclacayo, near Lima in Peru, on March 19, 2017. Joseph Moreno M/Shutterstock El Niño is a recurring climate event with impacts across the globe. It has three phases: one cold (known as La Niña), one neutral, and one warm (El Niño). In 2026, spring in the northern hemisphere took place in a neutral phase, which followed a relatively mild La Niña. Short-term forecast models indicate that by mid-year it i