Though ‘El Niño’ means ‘little boy’ in Spanish, there is nothing little about it – at least in terms of the impact this weather phenomenon could have globally – including in Switzerland.
As defined by the World Meteorological Organization, El Niño is “a natural climate pattern that causes the surface waters of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean to become unusually warm.”
This is particularly dangerous because it raises sea levels – causing floods and hurricanes – as well as other incidents of severe weather.
And with record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather episodes in the summer of 2026, experts say that El-Niño, a phenomenon caused by the worsening climate crisis, could hit Europe this coming winter, intensify, and persist through 2027.
READ MORE: How the supersized El Niño could hit Europe
Extreme weather is forecast to become even more frequent in the future, due to climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
How could it affect Switzerland?
According to Swiss meteorologist Peter Wick, nothing is certain at this point.
“For Switzerland, the position of the jet stream and the distribution of atmospheric pressure over the Atlantic and Europe play a decisive role,” he explained.
However, “inferring the specific characteristics of the 2026/27 winter in Switzerland from this as early as the beginning of September would be meteorologically unsound.”
And while El Niño will have serious consequences globally – by adding, according to Wick – extra heat to the climate system and increasing the risk of new temperature records, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events – “for Switzerland, this does not automatically mean an extreme winter.”
So what can we expect?
“I would say that we are facing a powerful global climate factor capable of reshuffling the deck for the coming winter,” Wick pointed out.
“But the specific hand we are actually dealt in will only be revealed in the months ahead.”
