El Niño 2026: Tokyo Records 35 Days Of Rain As Chile’s Atacama Desert Bursts Into Bloom

· Free Press Journal

New Delhi, October 12, 2026: The world is witnessing extreme weather conditions linked to El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that influences weather patterns worldwide. As the phenomenon strengthens ahead of its expected peak in December, several regions have experienced unusual rainfall and dramatic environmental changes.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), El Niño has contributed to contrasting weather events, with Chile’s Atacama Desert witnessing a rare floral bloom while Japan’s capital, Tokyo, recorded 35 consecutive days of rainfall, its longest such spell since 1886.

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Chile’s Atacama Desert transforms into a sea of flowers

One of the driest places on Earth, Chile’s Atacama Desert witnessed a spectacular transformation in September as heavy rainfall triggered the blooming of millions of seeds and bulbs belonging to around 200 flower species.

The desert, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, stretches approximately 1,600 kilometres along Chile’s northern coast.

Photographs shared by tourists showed vast stretches of violet flowers covering the usually barren landscape, drawing visitors to the rare natural spectacle.

Several regions of Chile recorded unprecedented rainfall between July and August, with some areas experiencing levels not seen since records began in the 1950s.

Certain locations received more than 180 millimetres of rain, a level that Cesar Pizarro, head of Atacama biodiversity at Chile’s forestry body CONAF, said “had never been recorded before”.

Tokyo records 35 consecutive days of rain

While Chile’s desert bloomed, Tokyo experienced an unusually prolonged spell of rainfall that disrupted daily life in the Japanese capital.

The city recorded 35 consecutive days of rain, surpassing its previous record of 33 days between June 27 and July 29, 2019.

The persistent rainfall led to rising vegetable prices, affected tourism and left residents struggling with prolonged cloudy conditions.

According to Mainichi Shimbun, central Tokyo received nearly three times its usual rainfall in September.

The city recorded just 45.8 hours of sunshine during the month, the second-lowest figure on record. The sun remained completely obscured on 14 days.

What is El Niño and how does it affect global weather?

El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon associated with unusually warm ocean temperatures that can influence rainfall, storms and weather patterns across different parts of the world.

The term, Spanish for “little boy”, was first used by fishermen in South America during the 1600s. They observed that warmer ocean waters disrupted fishing activities and brought heavy rainfall and storms, particularly around Christmas.

In recent decades, the phenomenon’s duration has increased, and the current El Niño event is intensifying ahead of its forecast December peak.

WMO warns of record ocean temperatures

The WMO has warned that sea-surface temperatures across the planet could reach record levels between October and December 2026 as El Niño continues to strengthen.

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According to the UN agency, the current event is among the strongest El Niño episodes recorded since 1950 and is expected to persist until February 2027.

The continuing phenomenon is influencing weather conditions across different regions, with Tokyo’s prolonged rainfall and the unusual flowering of Chile’s Atacama Desert highlighting its far-reaching effects.

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