It's about to take quite a turn weather-wise. Now that autumn is right around the corner, those extremely dramatic days of summer are hopefully behind us. What a summer. Not in a good way. In a disastrous, record-breaking kind of way that has hopefully made a LOT of billionaires think twice about their jet fuel usage. Ahem. However, if you’re anything like me, the upcoming colder months have you just as worried as the warmer months did. Is this winter going to be dramatic?! Do I need to somehow fit MORE layers on? Should I invest in an umbrella hat to save me battling against strong winds? Well, in short, it’s likely to be quite dramatic, yes. In fact, we are about to experience the largest El Niño event since 1818. Yikes. What is an El Niño event? According to the United Nations University: “It is an important climate phenomenon that can shape weather patterns across the globe, bringing floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms to different regions. Occurring every two to seven years, El Niño events can be forecast several months in advance, although their timing and intensity remain difficult to predict and their impacts can be severe.” However, while this happens relatively often, forecasters are warning that the upcoming event is unprecedented. “We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event”, said Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office. “I have never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our forecasts. A typical El Niño leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between 1-2 degrees, with 2oC being a really big event. This implies that if the forecast is accurate - and other forecast systems show similar extreme values - then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.” Cool. Great. Cool. How will the UK be impacted by the 2026 El Niño event? Speaking to the BBC, Scaife shares that forecasters “already see signals for increased rainfall and storminess in autumn here in the UK”. Time to invest in a solid raincoat, we reckon. Related... Yes, Hot Weather Can Give You A Dodgy Stomach. Here's Why 'Britain Is A Tinderbox': Andy Burnham Says Dry Weather Could Last Until October Why The Change In Weather Might Be Triggering Your Almighty Headache