What's Happening to Our WEATHER?

El Niño, La Niña, Habagat—and the Biblical Warning Behind a Changing Climate

SOMETHING is happening in our atmosphere that demands more than casual attention. Around the world, people are experiencing destructive floods, prolonged droughts, intense heat, powerful storms and increasingly disruptive weather patterns.

In the Philippines, the contrast can be especially striking: one region may be struggling with excessive rainfall and flooding while another is facing heat and water shortages.

Is climate change the whole explanation? Science can identify physical mechanisms, measure trends and improve forecasts—but it cannot answer every question about why humanity is experiencing these conditions.

A 2026 WEATHER WARNING for the Philippines

The latest data from DOST-PAGASA deserves careful attention. La Niña, which affected the Philippines during 2025–2026, officially ended on March 9, 2026, with conditions returning temporarily to ENSO-neutral.

But the atmosphere did not simply settle down.

By June, PAGASA announced that El Niño had developed. Its July 22 monitoring update reported weak-to-moderate El Niño conditions and projected that the phenomenon could intensify, with a very strong El Niño favored during October–December 2026. PAGASA also warned that El Niño could persist into the first half of 2027.

That creates a paradox. El Niño generally raises the possibility of drier-than-normal conditions, dry spells and drought, yet PAGASA specifically notes that the western Philippines can still experience above-normal rainfall during the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat.

And that is exactly why weather cannot be reduced to a simple “hotter means drier” formula.

PAGASA declared the Southwest Monsoon season underway on May 30. Since then, Habagat episodes have repeatedly brought heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, flooding and landslide risks to vulnerable communities. In July, enhanced Habagat associated with Tropical Storm Inday produced flooding in parts of Mindanao, while other episodes soaked Luzon and the Visayas.

So what should we make of all this?

SCIENCE EXPLAINS THE MECHANISMS—But Not the Ultimate Meaning

Scientists investigate greenhouse gases, ocean temperatures, atmospheric circulation, volcanic activity, solar influences, land-use changes and other factors affecting climate. Human activity undeniably alters the environment. Deforestation, pollution, urbanization and fossil-fuel emissions can intensify environmental pressures.

But there is another dimension modern society rarely considers: the moral and spiritual condition of humanity.

The Bible reveals that creation itself is connected to mankind's relationship with its Creator.

God told ancient Israel that obedience would bring blessings, while persistent rebellion would bring drought, failed crops and destructive conditions (Deuteronomy 28:1–24). Solomon understood this connection when he prayed concerning a future drought:

“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned…”

He then asked God to hear their repentance and restore the land (2 Chronicles 6:26–27).

This does not mean every flood, typhoon or drought can automatically be labeled a direct punishment for a particular person's sin. Jesus Himself warned against simplistic conclusions about suffering (Luke 13:1–5). Weather operates through physical systems God established.

Yet Scripture makes something unmistakably clear: God remains sovereign over creation.

“He commands and raises the stormy wind” (Psalm 107:25). He gives rain, sends sunshine and sustains the earth (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17).

A PROPHETIC Weather Warning

Jesus Christ warned that the end of the age would be characterized by unprecedented upheaval:

“There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7).

Revelation portrays a future in which drought, famine, environmental devastation and catastrophic disturbances become part of a much greater crisis (Revelation 6:5–8; 8:7–12).

The Bible is not telling us to ignore meteorologists. Quite the opposite: use the information God has allowed mankind to discover, prepare wisely and pay attention.

But preparation must go deeper than sandbags, evacuation plans and weather applications.

The ultimate warning is spiritual.

Humanity has become extraordinarily capable of manipulating its environment while remaining unwilling to submit to the One who created it. We have learned how to measure atmospheric pressure but have not learned how to control human greed. We can forecast storms but cannot engineer peace. We can monitor rising temperatures while continuing to live by selfishness, corruption in high places, exploitation and rebellion.

The Bible calls that condition sin (1 John 3:4).

WHAT IS GOD TRYING to Teach Us?

Perhaps the greatest question is not merely, “What is wrong with our weather?”

It is:

“What is wrong with humanity?”

Weather extremes should remind us how fragile civilization really is. A few days of extraordinary rain can overwhelm roads, farms, drainage systems and communities. A prolonged drought can threaten food production and water supplies.

Jesus said that when these things begin occurring, His followers should not merely panic. They should “look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

The answer is neither climate denial nor climate panic.

It is watchfulness, preparation, responsible stewardship and repentance.

God ultimately promises something far greater than another temporary period of favorable weather. He promises a coming Kingdom in which creation itself will be restored.

“Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree” (Isaiah 55:13).

The Bible's final message is therefore one of hope.

Today’s unpredictable weather may be a warning of humanity’s vulnerability—but it also points us toward the greatest weather forecast of all:

Jesus Christ is coming to establish the Kingdom of God—and restore peace not only among nations, but ultimately to the entire creation.