El Niño may sound exotic and complicated, a weather pattern that no one really understands, happening thousands of miles away.

But its effects can reach all the way to your home, grocery cart and bank account, so it's important to know how you'll be personally impacted.

And this year could be a big one: NOAA says the 2026 El Niño is likely to be stronger from October through December than any event on record going back to 1950.

So what can you actually do about it?

Start with your wallet

As Chloe Demrovsky of NYU's Center for Global Affairs puts it, “El Niño impacts energy markets and it impacts agricultural markets. And so those two things trickle down to consumers mainly through prices.”

Agriculturally speaking, rice and wheat could face pressure from drought in parts of Asia and Australia.

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(MORE: El Niño: Latest forecast, news and impacts)

Meanwhile, excessive rain in South America could hurt crops like potatoes, onions and carrots. Sugar, coffee, tea and cocoa are also vulnerable.

That doesn't mean you need to panic-buy potatoes or build a bunker full of chocolate.

Instead, use the next month to plan your grocery bill around potential upsets and set aside a few extra dollars for prized ingredients.

Think local

When you can, buying local food and products can reduce your dependence on long, complicated supply chains that may be hindered by El Niño.

(MORE: Tomato prices just hit a record high, here's why)

"El Niño causes a lot of big storms," explains Demrovsky. "It might also weaken the trade winds that traditionally help those ships get across the Pacific." 

"If the ships have trouble getting to the Americas, that makes everything more expensive. If it takes longer, it gets more expensive."

A regional farmer or producer is much less likely to suffer at the whims of sudden storms, weary winds or global shipping disruptions.

Make your home a little tougher

The developing El Niño is expected to bring wetter and cooler conditions to the southern U.S. while making the northern U.S. warmer and drier, which means regardless of your region, you may be in for weather you're not as accustomed to.

Take an hour to look at your emergency supplies. Replace expired batteries, check flashlights, replenish water and other basics, and make sure your family knows what to do during bad weather.

(MORE: Here's what should be in your emergency kit)

Demrovsky says, “we all have a stake in our own preparedness and so it's time to make sure that all of your kits are up to date and that you have a basic family preparedness plan for extreme weather of all kinds, not just El Niño.”

Southerners, that means it may be time to buy rock salt and snow shovels. Northerners, spend a few extra minutes fire-proofing your home. 

And don't forget to think about your future energy bill now.

Look for easy efficiency wins around the house like sealing drafts, improving insulation or finally tackling that home-energy project you've been putting off.

“If that means installing those solar panels that you were thinking about for a long time,” Demrovsky suggested, “Painting roofs white is cheap and it actually reduces heat levels a lot. Thinking about upgrading your air conditioning, planting trees.”

When October arrives, the biggest lesson from El Niño may be surprisingly simple: you don't have to predict exactly what will go wrong to prepare for it.

As Demrovsky says, “The hazards are natural, the disasters are man made because we fail to prepare. So if you're prepared, you're gonna weather the storm a lot better.”