A monstrous El Niño has arrived. Here’s what it means for where you live.

A powerful El Niño is warming the Pacific and adding heat to the atmosphere, with effects that are expected to disrupt weather around the world. The article says the event could offer a glimpse of conditions that may become more common as the planet warms, although the relationship between climate change and El Niño’s strength remains uncertain.

The added heat could contribute to about 450,000 deaths worldwide, while impacts vary by region: drought is affecting parts of the Amazon, and extreme rain has hit the Greater Horn of Africa. In the US, California often sees more rain and flood risk, the Midwest may have a milder, drier winter, and the Southeast could be colder and wetter. Forecasts describe broad tendencies rather than precise local conditions, and Alaska’s outcome is especially hard to predict.