Latvia weather outlook and El Niño winter predictions

Meteorologists are providing outlooks for both the upcoming week in Latvia and the potential 2026/2027 winter season in Europe.

For the immediate week in Latvia, the Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre predicts various precipitation zones will cross the country in the latter half of the week. Early in the week, fog is expected to reduce visibility during nights and mornings. While Monday may see intermittent rain, conditions are expected to clear slightly by Tuesday. By Thursday, a wide precipitation zone is forecast to bring rain to nearly the entire country, accompanied by wind gusts reaching 15 meters per second near the coast.

Regarding the long-term winter outlook, the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean is expected to play a significant role. The World Meteorological Organization has indicated that El Niño could become very strong in the second half of 2026 and likely persist until February 2027. This phenomenon may alter atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns globally. In Europe, models suggest that much of the continent may experience less snow than usual, though more favorable snowy conditions could remain in mountainous regions and Northern or Northeastern Europe.