Published on Feb. 12, 2026, 7:16 PM
Updated on Feb. 12, 2026, 7:29 PM
El Niño could start to build later this summer
La Niña is expected to fade away in the weeks ahead, ending a pattern that’s mildly influenced global weather conditions since last autumn.
The latest update from U.S. forecasters called for a return to neutral conditions by this spring, potentially followed by El Niño conditions building later this year.
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La Niña is fading
La Niña persisted into the month of February, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC), with cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean continuing to influence the atmosphere.
Experts anticipate that this La Niña event will fade away by the early spring, leading to ENSO-Neutral conditions in which neither La Niña nor El Niño is present.
Neutral conditions don’t influence global weather patterns either way, allowing other factors to more strongly dictate local and regional conditions.
The highly anticipated monthly CPC outlook indicates that neutral conditions will likely stick around into the summer months.
