El Niño Fuels Hurricane Nolo Near Hawaii as Strongest-on-Record Pattern Warps U.S. Storms
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 26
El Niño Fuels Hurricane Nolo Near Hawaii as Strongest-on-Record Pattern Warps U.S. Storms
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 26
Summary
Hurricane Nolo is threatening to drench Hawaii’s Big Island as El Niño-warmed Pacific waters intensify the storm, extending a run of unusually severe tropical hits since August.
The same climate pattern also helped steer this weekend’s East Coast nor’easter along a track that can become more common during El Niño, showing its reach on both sides of the U.S.
By some metrics, the current El Niño is already the strongest on record and typically peaks late in the year, signaling more disruption to rainfall, temperature and storm patterns in coming months.
For Hawaii, that raises the risk that Nolo is not an outlier but part of a broader season that has already surprised scientists with repeated hurricane threats.
With soils already saturated from previous storms, can Hawaii's strained infrastructure withstand Hurricane Nolo's catastrophic 35-inch rainfall?
Why are stalling hurricanes like Nolo becoming a recurring, devastating nightmare for the Hawaiian Islands this season?
Hurricane Nolo and the Relentless 2026 Pacific Season: Hawaii’s Triple Threat, Disaster Fatigue, and the Role of Super El Niño
Overview
In 2026, a record-breaking Super El Niño fueled ocean temperatures in the Pacific to 5°C above normal, supercharging hurricane activity while suppressing storms in the Atlantic. This led to a relentless series of powerful hurricanes—Lala, Lowell, and now Nolo—striking Hawaii in quick succession. The Big Island and Maui faced catastrophic flooding and mudslides, while repeated disasters strained local government resources and battered the tourism economy. As residents endured deep disaster fatigue and trauma, officials scrambled to secure federal aid and manage ongoing emergencies, highlighting how climate change and extreme weather are pushing Hawaii’s resilience to its limits.