What does the upcoming Super El Niño mean for Prince George

Apr 17, 2026 | 5:07 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – 2026-27 is projected to be a time of extreme weather shifts according to meteorologists and this is thanks to a Super El Niño expected to take shape sometime in the summer. A Super El Niño is a rare phenomenon that occurs when Pacific Oceans Temperature rise 2 degrees or more and can lead to significant weather extremes globally including Canada with lighter winters being the result. Naturally this raises the question of what does this mean for Prince George?

“Essentially what it is it’s ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific and they’re normally cool in the eastern Pacific because of the way the trade winds drag the water off the shore and cause cold water to up well, and that’s normal. If the trade winds weaken and the water warms, we get these warm anomalies of temperature in the ocean and that impacts the atmosphere.” said UNBC meteorologist Dr. Peter Jackson.

Previous Super El Niño’s in 1982-83, 1997-98 and most recently 2015-2016 brought record heat, droughts and flooding. Northern BC is known for Snowy conditions and forest fires so for those planning the city budget they have to walk a fine line to avoid future problems.

“With a city that has all four seasons, unlike many others in BC, it’s a lot that’s at stake. What happens if you put too much budget into snow removal and not enough budget into grass and keeping our summer looking good? What happens if you misallocate resources? So the stakes are high and it’s important to make sure we can get as close a picture of what’s coming as we can. ” said Prince George City Councilor Garth Frizzell.

On Demand

April 17, 2026: CKPG News on Demand

1h ago

Super El Niño

What does the upcoming Super El Niño mean for Prince George

2h ago

Growing pains coming to Prince George

4h ago

British Columbia saw the results of dramatic temperature shifts in 2017 with extensive forest fire behavior and the City has adapted and predicted future forecasts to prepare the budget to reflect this but projecting future temperatures isn’t a exact science. Frizzell says the City is prepared for all scenarios and is adapting services to changing conditions.

“We looked ahead and we forecasted that it would be a dry year. Now it’s seeming to shape up that way that the best guess is it will be a warm and dry year, but you can’t take that for granted. So we have to be prepared if there is a big dump coming in in October or November or beyond. But for right now, this year we reduced the snow budget in anticipation of a lighter year.” added Frizzell.

Forecasters note that spring predictions can be unpredictable though early indicators strongly point towards this development but confidence in the exact strength of the event will increase closer to June.

by Nick Dube

Click here to report an error or typo in this article

What does the upcoming Super El Niño mean for Prince George

What's Trending