The daily Niño 3.4 index surpassed the 2015 maximum in September and was near +3.5°C by late October. The ocean signal is exceptional, but intensity does not automatically determine local damage or a single cause.
The update cited by UOL assigns a 69% chance that the RONI index reaches at least +2.5°C in October–December. Pacific warming is real, but “super El Niño” is not a WMO operational category and no seasonal forecast determines local weather on its own.
Scripps researchers identified sediments near pH 12 and brucite around barrel-like objects between Palos Verdes and Santa Catalina. The finding confirms persistent alkaline chemical contamination, while its ecological scale and any food-chain risk still require investigation.
The World Meteorological Organization expects warming in the central and eastern Pacific to develop into a strong event during August-October 2026. Its overlap with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole may shift rainfall and raise heat, drought, flood and wildfire risks.