Two bits of news have landed close together this autumn, and both point the same way. The Met Office has been tracking what it calls an "unprecedented" El Niño, and the government has launched Be Ready, a campaign asking every household to be able to cope on its own for 3 days. Here's what each one actually says, and what you can sensibly do about it.
What is El Niño?
El Niño is a natural warming of the surface of the tropical Pacific Ocean that happens every few years. It shifts weather patterns around the world. Its effect on the UK is indirect and less predictable than in places like South America or Australia, but it can tilt the odds towards certain kinds of weather.
What the Met Office is saying
- In June 2026, the Met Office confirmed an El Niño was under way and said it was likely to be "a very strong event".
- By August, its long-range expert Professor Adam Scaife said he had "never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our forecasts", with some forecasts suggesting it could be one of the strongest on record.
- For the UK, the Met Office says a strong El Niño raises the chances of wetter, stormier conditions in autumn and early winter, and can be linked to colder, calmer spells later in the winter.
The important caveat: the Met Office is clear that this means increased chances, not a certainty. El Niño is one of several things that drive our weather, and forecasts will be updated as winter gets closer. Nobody can tell you today exactly how many storms we'll get.
What the government is saying
On 22 October 2026, the government published its Be Ready checklist, the start of a three-year campaign to help households prepare for disruption from things like severe weather, power cuts and cyber attacks. The Prime Minister said people should be better prepared because "unexpected events seem to be becoming more and more common", while ministers stressed they want people to be "alert but not alarmed".
The core advice is simple: have enough at home to manage for 3 days without outside help, including bottled water, food that doesn't need cooking, a battery or wind-up radio, a torch, cash, and any medicines you rely on.
So what should you actually do?
Nothing dramatic. A stormier-than-usual winter mostly means a higher chance of the everyday disruptions we already know: power cuts, flooding, travel problems and patchy mobile signal. Being ready for those is cheap and quick:
- Check you have light that isn't your phone. A torch or head torch, plus something that lights a whole room. See our power cut guide.
- Keep a way to get news. A wind-up radio still works when the power and internet don't.
- Keep phones charged. A charged power bank buys you days, not hours.
- Plan to stay warm without heating: blankets, thermal socks and hand warmers. Never use a barbecue or camping stove indoors.
- Know what to do when a storm is forecast. Our storm checklist covers your home, garden and car.
- If you're in a flood risk area, sign up for free flood warnings and keep a grab bag ready.
- Have a plan for when signal goes. See how to stay in touch when mobile networks go down.
- Check on others. Make sure older neighbours and relatives have the basics too, and know about the free Priority Services Register.
Don't panic-buy, plan
The best time to prepare is before the first named storm, not the night before it. Spread it out: add a few things each time you shop, starting with what's on our free Be Ready checklist. If you'd rather get the light, power, warmth and grab-bag basics in one go, the Hunker Down Mega Bundle covers 15 of them, and you just add food, water and medicines.
Our products ship from our suppliers and take 6 to 13 working days to arrive, so order well ahead of when you think you'll need them.
Sources: Met Office, El Niño declared for 2026 (11 June 2026); Met Office, an 'unprecedented' El Niño (21 August 2026); UK Government Be Ready; Arab News / AFP (23 October 2026). Hunker Bunker isn't affiliated with the Met Office or the UK government. Always follow official weather warnings and advice from the emergency services.
Header photo: a storm hitting the lighthouse at Porthcawl, Wales, by Marcus Woodbridge on Unsplash.