Preparing for El Niño

Pet food and lots of soup

We are stocking up on wood for the wood burner. At least if there is no electricity, we shall have warmth and the means to heat food.
Quite often in the winter we light it and open all the internal doors. The house is soon warm. With thick, knitted blankets we do not need the central heating on.

If there is no electricity for one reason or another, no heating or cooling systems will work nor water/ waste. It would be better to stock up on water, long life milk, tinned food and food that does not need heating/ cooking,

Can make bread if necessary
Sugar
Soda
Wine
Brandy

I routinely keep the following in supply and was glad of it recently as I had no transport to the shops :
Biscuits
Chocolate
Tinned and packet soup
Noodles
Potatoes
Tinned fruit
Nuts
Tea bags
Coffee
Drinking chocolate
Coffemate
I also have flour and c

No one has mentioned chocolate!

It would have to be a dire emergency indeed for me to eat cold baked beans or cold tomato soup.

But Usedtobeblonde I’m going one better than you. I’m going to drill holes in the bottoms of old cocoa tins, join them with string and create my own telephone exchange.

For us, one priority is loo rolls. With various stomach issues in the family and an OCD grandson, we get through an inordinate amount in normal times.

There seemed to be a flurry of warm spaces in my area, a lot of Churches got on board. Then it stopped. Funding I suppose.

There is always that chance Oldnproud.

mokryna

Is El Niño a way governments are getting Europe to stock up against cyber attacks I am asking myself.

I suspect that is a serious possibility.

Yes I think warm spaces are still going to be available but I suppose it depends on local councils as Casdon said. My guess is some charities might do this if warm spaces are not funded by local councils, or at least I would hope so.

greyfur16

*Fallingstar*,How do you think this extreme weather will affect us?
Do you remember " warm spaces". The funding for that seems to have stopped.

Flooding and wind damage are the most likely, power cables could be down, and water supplies compromised?
We’ve got designated warm spaces, I think most councils are still funding them?

Is El Niño a way governments are getting Europe to stock up against cyber attacks I am asking myself.

Fallingstar,How do you think this extreme weather will affect us?
Do you remember " warm spaces". The funding for that seems to have stopped.

I think the weather extremes caused by this El Niño will be severe, but will be glad to be proved wrong. Not only should people be sensibly keeping some non perishables to one side - I do this anyway, we should also be thinking about keeping warm this winter without overspending on bills and keeping cool next summer when it is predicted temps over 40 degrees will be reached as regularly as temps in the late 30s were reached this year. We are seriously considering installing AC here in London. Costly, but with my husband to care for I cannot struggle through another summer like the one we just had.
And those ready to dismiss the heatwaves as just what happens sometimes might care to look at their geographical location in the UK, quite frankly if you don’t live in areas hardest hit this summer you really don’t know what it was like.

JenniRen

Well, we should always look on the bright side.
If we have a very wet winter, the reservoirs will fill and there'll be less chance of a drought/hosepipe ban/standpipes next summer 😀

Oh yes, plan for the worst and hope for the best, always be positive.

Well, we should always look on the bright side.
If we have a very wet winter, the reservoirs will fill and there'll be less chance of a drought/hosepipe ban/standpipes next summer 😀

OldFrill

greyfur16

Appreciate the idea of a light hearted post but I don't think unsubstantiated warnings are helpful.

We have weather in the UK, always have.

Angela Eagle is acting on information from the World Metrological Organisation. It's hardly unsubstantiated. She suggests that having a few days' extra food wouldn't go amiss, (not "stockpiling" as the Telegraph and others are deliberately exaggerating).

El Niño/La Niña Update (August 2026) share.google/2g5iqUW90QgiJWFxv

I suppose unless you are really struggling, most people have a little extra available.

"It's not just the unknown impact of El Nino, it's the uncertainty of the world at present" Those were pretty much my thoughts behind the government advice of being prepared for the unexpected and have some reserves. As others have said, just add one or two items each week, without clearing entire shelves. I think having enough bog rolls could be the least of our problems.

*World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

greyfur16

Appreciate the idea of a light hearted post but I don't think unsubstantiated warnings are helpful.

We have weather in the UK, always have.

Angela Eagle is acting on information from the World Metrological Organisation. It's hardly unsubstantiated. She suggests that having a few days' extra food wouldn't go amiss, (not "stockpiling" as the Telegraph and others are deliberately exaggerating).

El Niño/La Niña Update (August 2026) share.google/2g5iqUW90QgiJWFxv

TheWeirdoAgain60

What is ''El Niño''? I'm English and only speak English; no other language!

I won't be stockpiling anything; I never have and never will. I'm not thoughtless enough to empty the shelves, denying normal shoppers anything.

Then there will be all the selfish morons, like with the vaccines, etc., snatching up all the bog rolls they'll never use in 3 lifetimes! HA!

🙄

David49

El Niño is said to produce extreme disruption to weather patterns, wet, cold or hot and dry. This summer may have been an easy time a very wet cold winter will affect many more. A very cold winter like 1962,63 or 47 will feel much worse.

I think a bigger challenge may be wellbeing/mental health....call it what you will.

kittylester

greyfur16

Appreciate the idea of a light hearted post but I don't think unsubstantiated warnings are helpful.

We have weather in the UK, always have.

I don't think Angela Eagle was issuing an 'unsubstantiated warning'.

Do you have more imformation please? Thanks

Well, I think it is sensible to have a few extras in because any emergency could crop up where getting out might be tricky (weather, illness), but panic buying? No. I don’t think that was what the minister was suggesting, by the way, but the way the BBC reported it might encourage some into panic buying.
On a lighthearted note, yes, plenty of wine, tea, and gin 🤣🤣