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Climate change is not expected to eliminate El Niño or La Niña, and the IPCC does not find a consistent model result that global warming will systematically make their Pacific Ocean temperature swings stronger or weaker. The clearest projection is different: ENSO-linked rainfall variability is very likely to increase substantially in the second half of the 21st century in several emissions scenarios. That means a similar-sized sea-surface-temperature event could produce a more disruptive rainfall response in a warmer climate.

What El Niño and La Niña are changing—and what may not change

El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a coupled ocean-and-atmosphere pattern centered in the tropical Pacific. During El Niño, unusually warm surface water and associated atmospheric convection shift toward the central or eastern Pacific. During La Niña, the tropical Pacific pattern generally reverses, with cooler-than-average surface water in the central and eastern region and convection displaced westward. Neutral conditions fall between those phases.

ENSO matters far beyond the Pacific because its tropical heating pattern influences atmospheric circulation. Those downstream responses, called teleconnections, can change seasonal rainfall, temperature, storm tracks and tropical-cyclone conditions in distant regions. Climate change can therefore alter ENSO in more than one way:

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  • the size of the tropical Pacific sea-surface-temperature anomaly;
  • the strength of the associated rainfall anomaly;
  • the timing, duration or seasonal phase of events; and
  • the location and intensity of regional teleconnections.

These dimensions should not be treated as interchangeable. A stronger rainfall response does not require a robust increase in the temperature anomaly, and a shift in a downstream circulation pattern is not the same thing as a stronger El Niño or La Niña.

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The IPCC’s central finding

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group I, states that it is “virtually certain that the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) will remain the dominant mode of interannual variability in a warmer world.” ENSO will therefore continue to be a major source of year-to-year climate variation even as average temperatures rise.

For the ocean-temperature side of ENSO, the assessment says: “There is no model consensus for a systematic change in intensity of ENSO sea surface temperature variability over the 21st century in any of the SSP scenarios assessed (medium confidence).” In practical terms, climate models do not agree on a single, reliable direction for a long-term increase or decrease in ENSO sea-surface-temperature amplitude.

The more consistent projection concerns rainfall. The IPCC concludes that ENSO rainfall variability, the measure used to define extreme El Niño and La Niña rainfall responses, will very likely increase significantly by the second half of the century in SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5, regardless of how ENSO sea-surface-temperature amplitude changes.

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Why rainfall can become more variable without a stronger ENSO temperature signal

Ocean temperature and atmospheric rainfall are related, but they are not the same measurement. ENSO’s rainfall response depends on where tropical convection develops, how the atmosphere circulates around it and how a warmer climate changes the background state in which the event occurs. Consequently, models can project a larger rainfall anomaly even when their simulated ENSO sea-surface-temperature variability has no robust trend.

This distinction is essential when reading claims that climate change will make El Niño “stronger.” A headline may refer to heavier rain, a larger drought response or more intense flooding, while the underlying ocean-temperature index has not increased systematically. The IPCC’s assessment supports the rainfall result, not a blanket statement that every measure of ENSO intensity will rise.

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What the model evidence says about sea-surface-temperature variability

No agreed direction across future scenarios

CMIP6 projections assessed by the IPCC show no robust change in medium- or long-term ENSO sea-surface-temperature amplitude across the four scenarios considered in the assessment. Some models produce increases, others decreases, and the spread is too large to establish a single forced trend with medium confidence.

The result is not that models show no change in any individual location or event. Individual simulations can contain notable shifts, and a particular future sequence can include unusually large or small events. The finding is that the ensemble does not provide a consistent, scenario-independent systematic change in the variability itself.

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What “amplitude” means

Amplitude describes how far an ENSO index departs from its average state, usually using sea-surface-temperature anomalies in a defined tropical Pacific region. It is a statistical property of many events, not a promise about the next El Niño. A future event can still be exceptionally large even if the century-scale average amplitude shows no robust trend.

Rainfall variability: the clearest projected change

The scenarios and time period

The IPCC’s long-term comparison examines 2081–2100 against 1995–2014. Its assessment finds a very likely significant increase in ENSO-related rainfall variability by the second half of the century under SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5. These are scenario pathways with different levels of future greenhouse-gas forcing; they are not predictions that one pathway will occur.

The wording is deliberately specific. It does not establish the same confidence level for every possible scenario, nor does it provide one universal percentage increase for the entire world. The change is a statistical projection for ENSO-linked rainfall variability, not a forecast of rainfall in a particular city during a particular event.

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How to interpret the result

Under the projection, an El Niño or La Niña of comparable ocean-temperature magnitude could be associated with a larger departure from typical rainfall conditions than it would have been in the historical climate. That can raise the likelihood of unusually wet or dry seasons in locations affected by ENSO teleconnections, but the direction and size of the local response still depend on geography, season and the atmospheric circulation in that event.

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What has happened since 1950?

Historical and reconstructed evidence is more limited than future projection evidence. IPCC Chapter 12 reports medium confidence that ENSO amplitude and the frequency of high-magnitude events since 1950 were higher than during the pre-industrial period. However, it assigns low confidence that those differences exceed the range expected from internal climate variability.

That qualification changes the conclusion. The observed or reconstructed difference is not proof that human-caused warming has already made ENSO stronger or more frequent. Internal variability can produce multi-decadal swings, and the available record is short relative to the full range of natural ENSO behavior. Detection of a difference and attribution of that difference to human forcing are separate scientific questions.

Could ENSO’s remote effects move east?

Many CMIP5 and CMIP6 models project an eastward shift in the centers of North Pacific and North American extratropical teleconnections. The projected displacement is associated with an eastward movement of tropical convective anomalies during ENSO events.

A teleconnection center is the part of a downstream circulation pattern where the response is strongest. If that center shifts, the regions experiencing the largest rainfall, temperature or storm-track anomalies can also shift. This does not mean every location will see the same change, or that the tropical Pacific anomaly itself must move by the same distance. It is a model projection about the atmospheric response, not a guarantee for every event.

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Tropical-cyclone implications

The assessment also describes an indication that tropical cyclones could become more frequent during future El Niño events and less frequent during future La Niña events by the end of the century. The wording is qualified: it is an indication in the assessed simulations, not a firm global forecast of cyclone counts. Local outcomes depend on the basin, season and other environmental conditions.

Timing, duration and seasonality remain less settled

It is tempting to assume that warming will make ENSO events last longer, arrive earlier or occur in a different season. The cited IPCC material does not establish a robust future change of that kind.

Figures 3.36 and 3.37 in the assessment evaluate how climate models reproduce historical ENSO life cycles, event duration and seasonality against observations. Figure 3.36 selects events using the December ENSO index relative to its 1951–2010 standard deviation and compares their durations. Figure 3.37 compares observed and simulated seasonality over 1951–2010. These are tests of historical model performance and event characteristics; they are not, by themselves, evidence of a future timing or duration trend.

Therefore, claims that climate change will make every El Niño last longer or move its peak to a particular month go beyond the cited assessment. Timing may differ among events and models, but the reviewed evidence does not support a single confident future direction.

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Keep the evidence categories separate

Question What the assessment supports Confidence or qualification
Will ENSO continue? ENSO remains the dominant mode of interannual variability in a warmer world. Virtually certain.
Will ENSO sea-surface-temperature amplitude rise or fall systematically? No consistent 21st-century change across assessed SSP scenarios. Medium confidence; models disagree.
Will ENSO-linked rainfall variability change? A significant increase by 2081–2100 relative to 1995–2014 in SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5. Very likely for those scenarios.
Were events already stronger since 1950? Amplitude and high-magnitude-event frequency were assessed as higher than in the pre-industrial period. Medium confidence for the difference; low confidence that it exceeds internal variability.
Will remote circulation patterns move? Many models project eastward shifts in North Pacific and North American teleconnection centers. A model projection, not an identical regional outcome everywhere.
Will event timing or duration change? The cited figures evaluate historical simulations and do not establish a robust future trend. No single confident direction established.
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Why regional effects will not be uniform

ENSO does not impose one global rainfall pattern. The same phase can bring wetter conditions to one region and drier conditions to another, with effects varying by season. A change in the position of tropical convection or a downstream teleconnection can alter where those anomalies are concentrated.

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Climate change also changes the background climate independently of ENSO. A region that already has a rising baseline temperature, altered soil moisture or a changing mean rainfall regime may experience a different consequence from the same ENSO anomaly than it did decades ago. The IPCC findings therefore support broad statements about variability and circulation, not a universal regional inventory of future droughts, floods or heat.

How scientists compare past and future ENSO behavior

Historical simulations and observations

Researchers compare observed records, reconstructions and climate-model simulations over common periods. For the ENSO life-cycle analyses cited above, the historical comparison covers 1951–2010. Such tests reveal whether models reproduce the timing, duration and seasonal structure of known events before using them for future projections.

Scenario experiments

Future projections use Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios. The model ensembles are compared over defined windows rather than interpreted as a year-by-year forecast. In the ENSO variability figure described by the assessment, simulations span 1950–2014 for historical conditions and 2015–2100 for future scenarios, with model standard deviations normalized to 1995–2014. Normalization allows relative changes to be compared across models; it is not an additional headline percentage for the real world.

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Confidence language

Terms such as “virtually certain,” “very likely,” “medium confidence” and “low confidence” have specific assessment meanings. “Very likely” expresses a high assessed probability, while confidence also reflects evidence quality, model agreement and understanding of the mechanisms. A statement can have high likelihood for one metric, such as rainfall variability, while another metric, such as sea-surface-temperature amplitude, has only medium confidence and no agreed direction.

How to read claims that global warming will intensify ENSO

  1. Identify the variable. Check whether the claim concerns ocean temperature, rainfall, drought, cyclone activity, teleconnection position or event duration.
  2. Check the period. A result for 2081–2100 relative to 1995–2014 is not a statement about current conditions or the next El Niño.
  3. Check the scenario. The strongest rainfall-variability assessment applies specifically to SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5.
  4. Separate detection from attribution. A historical difference since 1950 does not by itself demonstrate a human cause.
  5. Look for regional limits. A projected eastward shift in a teleconnection center does not mean every country will experience the same rainfall or temperature change.
  6. Watch for overstatement. “No model consensus” means the evidence does not support a simple stronger-or-weaker verdict for ENSO sea-surface-temperature variability.

What this means for planning and interpretation

Organizations that depend on seasonal climate information should continue treating ENSO as a major source of year-to-year risk. Planning should not assume that El Niño and La Niña will disappear, nor should it rely on a permanent increase in ocean-temperature amplitude. The more defensible precaution is to prepare for potentially larger rainfall departures and for teleconnection patterns whose centers may shift.

Operational decisions still require current monitoring and forecasts. The assessment findings describe long-term tendencies and uncertainty; they do not provide a present-day ENSO status or predict the next event. A current outlook must come from an up-to-date forecasting service and should be interpreted alongside local observations and seasonal conditions.

Bottom line

Climate change is expected to leave El Niño and La Niña in place as the leading mode of year-to-year climate variability. The IPCC finds no model consensus that their tropical Pacific sea-surface-temperature swings will systematically strengthen or weaken this century. The stronger and more consistent signal is a very likely increase in ENSO-related rainfall variability in the latter half of the century under SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5. Historical changes since 1950 remain difficult to distinguish from internal variability, while many models project eastward shifts in North Pacific and North American teleconnection centers. The result is not one simple “stronger ENSO” story, but a warmer climate in which rainfall and regional consequences can become more variable and differently distributed.

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