A potential Super El Niño is developing faster than expected in the Pacific Ocean, threatening California with powerful storms and torrential rain this winter. - The National Weather Service reports an 82% chance El Niño will emerge within months and a 97% chance it will persist through winter.
- Ocean temperatures could reach 3.5°C above average by November, potentially surpassing the super El Niños of 1997-98 and 2015-16. - Scientist Paul Roundy estimates a 50% chance this could become the strongest El Niño in 140 years.
- Impacts may include record global temperatures, altered hurricane activity, increased wildfire risk, and strain on food and water supplies. While spring forecasts are uncertain, experts warn that the developing El Niño could bring significant weather extremes to California and globally, with effects likely intensifying early next year.