New Delhi, May 14 -- The odds of the world witnessing an El Niño this year edged by a notch, according to reports which claimed on Thursday that El Niño is emerging even faster than expected in the Pacific Ocean.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said in its 14 May report that there is an 82 percent chance of an El Niño arriving between May and July and a 96 percent chance of it developing by December.

But the agency predicted only a 37 percent chance of it being in its topmost categorisation, the 'very strong' category.

According to the National Weather Service, El Niño is likely to emerge soon (82% chance in May-July 2026) and continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2026-27 (96% chance in December 2026-February...