{"id":441256,"date":"2026-04-24T12:03:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=441256"},"modified":"2026-04-25T11:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T18:59:15","slug":"whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-el-nino-wolf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=441256","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s afraid of the big bad El Ni\u00f1o wolf?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"482\" data-attachment-id=\"441257\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441257\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?fit=2508%2C1672&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2508,1672\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Wooden block of El Nino on the cracked mud and wild fire background. climate change and global warming concept&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Wooden block of El Nino on the cracked mud and wild fire background. climate change and global warming concept&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?fit=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=723%2C482&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?w=2169&amp;ssl=1 2169w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wooden block of El Nino on the cracked mud and wild fire background. climate change and global warming concept<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfact.org\/2026\/04\/24\/whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-el-nino-wolf\/#\">CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfact.org\/author\/guestauthor47181744466634www-cfact-org\/\">Joe Bastardi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am amazed at what I am seeing about the upcoming El Ni\u00f1o, which I have been saying has a good chance of super El Ni\u00f1o status. You have people on one side of the climate issue trying to make as if it is the end of the world as far as extreme weather events. They are also licking their chops at the prospect of another global temperature spike, which is completely counterintuitive to the idea that CO2 is causing all this, since we have one example of another temperature spike and flattening out as the earth tries to adjust to the increased water vapor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what if we have, what IMO was the most impactful climate event of the past 50 years, the Super Ni\u00f1o of 1997-1998. How did that impact the U.S.?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A detailed 1999 peer-reviewed analysis by Stanley A. Changnon (<em>Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society<\/em>) directly quantified the nationwide impacts of weather events attributed to this strong El Ni\u00f1o. It estimated direct economic losses of about $4\u20134.5 billion (primarily property\/crop damage from storms and flooding, plus some business losses in recreation\/snow-removal sectors) but benefits of roughly $19 billion. This produced a net positive effect of ~$15 billion, with less federal relief needed than in prior non-El Ni\u00f1o winters. Yes, U.S. weather and climate costs during the 1997\u201398 El Ni\u00f1o were below average overall \u2014 and in fact, delivered a substantial net economic benefit \u2014 especially when focusing on the 1997 Atlantic hurricane season (strongly suppressed) and the 1997\u201398 winter (milder than average in much of the country, with major savings outweighing localized damages).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, isn\u2019t that special? First, there\u2019s the chance of a lack of hurricanes in the heart of the season (as I have stated several times, I am quite concerned early), and then \u2014 what I would truly hate the most \u2014 the lack of winter. Keep in mind, some El Ninos have been great winters with monster storms. The aforementioned winter of 97-98 produced the greatest snowstorm recorded in the Ohio Valley. (Louisville broke its all-time total snowfall, reaching 22.4 inches by the morning of Feb. 6. It still stands as the most snowfall on record for a single snowstorm.) And in 2016, another warm winter, the monster blizzard in mid to late January. Those were both very warm winters overall, though. But I am sure if some extreme event shows up, be it a hurricane, a flood, a tornado outbreak, whatever, it will be blamed on the El Ni\u00f1o. Well, what about the opposite? If it turns out tranquil in the States, will it get noticed? Of course not. They will run to the predictable uptick in the western Pacific that is coming, completely ignoring how the last decade has had the least ACE of any decade on record in the west Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fact is that the climate cabal preys on the fact that most people do not know what has happened before. And so big El Ni\u00f1os are a great opportunity to deceive people into thinking nothing like this has happened before. In reality, there is nothing new under the sun (except the sudden warming last El Ni\u00f1o around Australia, which could not have been CO2-induced).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, I want to discuss what is most important. Why the Great El Ni\u00f1o of 97-98 was the visible flip of the cumulative heat buildup in the oceans via geothermal and other natural causes that I have outlined several times as a possible contributor. Notice I did not say, this is the only idea, and I used the word possible. But the \u201ccoincidence\u201d is too hard to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But look at the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI), the gold standard for measuring ENSO (El Ni\u00f1o\u2013Southern Oscillation) events.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"395\" data-attachment-id=\"441260\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441260\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-224.png?fit=640%2C395&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,395\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-224.png?fit=640%2C395&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-224.png?resize=640%2C395&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-224.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-224.png?resize=300%2C185&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice there is more blue than red after 1997. This is another one of my pet peeves with my side on the climate debate, that they think the La Ni\u00f1a is cooling the globe. That is true relative to the spike that occurs with temps, but as is plainly seen on the global temperature, it leaves a higher plateau than before.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"350\" data-attachment-id=\"441262\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441262\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-225.png?fit=640%2C350&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,350\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-225.png?fit=640%2C350&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-225.png?resize=640%2C350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-225.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-225.png?resize=300%2C164&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it is water vapor, as I think, instead of CO2, the most recent spike was aided by Tonga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But notice how the El Ni\u00f1os have been stronger looking on the MULTIVARIATE ENSO INDEX when it was colder. Why would that be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the overall warming of the oceans is now blunting the reaction a bit more. The contrast in SST in the 82-83 event, and the most recent strong El Ni\u00f1o, as measured by the Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index, is stark.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"496\" data-attachment-id=\"441264\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441264\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-226.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,496\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-226.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-226.png?resize=640%2C496&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-226.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-226.png?resize=300%2C233&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">23-24. Notice how warm the oceans are around the El Ni\u00f1o compared to previous years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I used November to March as the base, but January to February in 24 was very warm around Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"496\" data-attachment-id=\"441265\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441265\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-227.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,496\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-227.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-227.png?resize=640%2C496&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-227.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-227.png?resize=300%2C233&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"496\" data-attachment-id=\"441267\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441267\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-228.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,496\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-228.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-228.png?resize=640%2C496&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-228.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-228.png?resize=300%2C233&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This strongly blunted another ENSO tool the Southern Oscillation index, which in an unprecedented fashion relative to the Oceanic Ni\u00f1o index, fell out of their El Ni\u00f1o category in the heart of winter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even 2016, which was a very strong event<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"496\" data-attachment-id=\"441270\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441270\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-229.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,496\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-229.png?fit=640%2C496&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-229.png?resize=640%2C496&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-229.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-229.png?resize=300%2C233&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">had overall surrounding areas much warmer than 82-83. So, when using something like the MEI, which is also measuring atmospheric parameters, the MEI is not showing as strong an event. The colder it was, the more the El Ni\u00f1o stood out. Which might disappoint a lot of the climate hysterics chomping at the bit with this El Ni\u00f1o because it\u2019s so warm now, it may not be able to beat the last peak. Remember, the warmer it gets, the harder it is to get warmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2015-2016 was the year I thought finally the other side would have to say, \u201cBy golly its water vapor.\u201d But no, they doubled down, as they will this year, no matter what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the reason you see the MEI doing what it\u2019s doing in the amount of WV (water vapor) in the air really turned the tables. It meant the west pac and the Asian continent warmed more than the oceans to their east and south. This naturally increased the easterlies over the Pacific, which in turn would lead to more La Ni\u00f1as showing up. But please get this through your head; La Ni\u00f1as are responding to the warming, not leading to cooling overall. For any cooling to truly start, whatever is warming the ocean (guys like me believe it\u2019s natural) has to stop. I am 70 now, and I have been hearing it all for years on how the cooling is ready to start from this or that. And when I debated Bill Nye on Global temps, I did not know about the geothermal heating that was going on. But no excuse, Bill has been right on the fact that the temperature has gone up. But I wonder if he has looked at all the natural reasons, or dug into the weather aspects the way you are seeing here \u2014 perhaps to stop and think about it or understand the step up function is a product of water vapor, which correlates wonderfully not only to total warming, but also where and when it warms the most. I learn by being corrected when I am wrong, but if you never think you are wrong, then that does not happen. But look, folks, until such a time that we see sustainable cooling, no matter how wrong we think the other side is, they can keep saying, \u201cCO2 is going up, the temperature is going up, there\u2019s your answer.\u201d And if it\u2019s an agenda that promotes ideas that say we have to spend a kajillion dollars but can\u2019t tell you what the result is, then you should expect no less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Listen, I have to deal with the warmth no matter the cause since it is impacting the forecast, where I need to know. If you never forecast globally, how would you truly know? It\u2019s the old wrestling debate: If you never lost a match, could you truly be your best? (Maybe, since Cael Sanderson never lost a match in college, but for the rest of us, correction is essential to reaching one\u2019s peak.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe I am thinking that because I get corrected so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One more example, and then I will leave you<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winters in the 30 years before the 97-98 Super Ni\u00f1o:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"492\" data-attachment-id=\"441272\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441272\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-230.png?fit=550%2C492&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"550,492\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-230.png?fit=550%2C492&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-230.png?resize=550%2C492&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-230.png?w=550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-230.png?resize=300%2C268&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the period is not far from the 30-year means, we will have a lot of near normal, but certainly much warmer than the previous 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"492\" data-attachment-id=\"441274\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=441274\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-231.png?fit=550%2C492&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"550,492\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-231.png?fit=550%2C492&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-231.png?resize=550%2C492&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-441274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-231.png?w=550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-231.png?resize=300%2C268&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now if we only had wet bulbs, better still, dewpoints. I am becoming a big fan of what is known as the dewpoint anchor being championed by Phillip Mulholland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Philip-Mulholland\">Philip MULHOLLAND | Researcher | MSc | Exploration | Research profile<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My order of importance&nbsp;is Saturation mixing ratios, Dewpoints, Wet Bulbs, and last and LEAST, temperatures, as the ones preceding temperature would better explain the climate and how it changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But notice how the first three are not quantified, but of course, CO2 is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gee, I wonder why?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A detailed 1999 peer-reviewed analysis by Stanley A. Changnon (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society) directly quantified the nationwide impacts of weather events attributed to this strong El Ni\u00f1o. It estimated direct economic losses of about $4\u20134.5 billion (primarily property\/crop damage from storms and flooding, plus some business losses in recreation\/snow-removal sectors) but benefits of roughly $19 billion. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":441257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691829997,691818200,691834338,691818541,691836660,691842517,691826085,691842518],"class_list":{"0":"post-441256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-carbon-dioxide-co","9":"tag-el-nino","10":"tag-enso-el-nino-southern-oscillation","11":"tag-la-nina","12":"tag-multivariate-enso-index-mei","13":"tag-oceanic-nino-index","14":"tag-super-el-nino","15":"tag-wv-water-vapor","17":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0El-Nino-scrabble-blocks-fire.jpg?fit=2508%2C1672&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1QN2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":301633,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=301633","url_meta":{"origin":441256,"position":0},"title":"Strong El Nino Conditions Prevails at The End of January 2024","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/13\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The classification of El Ni\u00f1o events, including the strength labels, is somewhat subjective and can vary among meteorological and climate agencies. There isn\u2019t a strict rule defining the specific number of consecutive Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index (ONI) values that must be 2.0\u00b0C or above to categorize an El Ni\u00f1o event as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"climate model\"","block_context":{"text":"climate model","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-model"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/00el_nino_globe.v2.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/00el_nino_globe.v2.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/00el_nino_globe.v2.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/00el_nino_globe.v2.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/00el_nino_globe.v2.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":392991,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=392991","url_meta":{"origin":441256,"position":1},"title":"Climate Oscillations 11: Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index (ONI)","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/05\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Oceanic Ni\u00f1o Index or\u00a0ONI\u00a0is NOAA\u2019s primarily indicator for monitoring the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the critical Ni\u00f1o 3.4 region. It is a 3-month running mean of ERSST.v5 SST anomalies in the Ni\u00f1o 3.4 region, defined as 5\u00b0N-5\u00b0S and 120\u00b0W-170\u00b0W. Figure 1 shows the ONI as computed from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Oscillations\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Oscillations","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-oscillations"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQM1yAaYgc1bunnkL8sOya59GvZHjD_7bkZrzDUL-2lGvUsGLIqQqF5EzSbr9km0FznsGchR2yu1uYa27QNY9M5TCyvKhSKOrqmybFoQYq7emW8CIFtdzadrzmD3h9CLnJ9z-eskLA-ycD0KPsxFPlqIEgUS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQM1yAaYgc1bunnkL8sOya59GvZHjD_7bkZrzDUL-2lGvUsGLIqQqF5EzSbr9km0FznsGchR2yu1uYa27QNY9M5TCyvKhSKOrqmybFoQYq7emW8CIFtdzadrzmD3h9CLnJ9z-eskLA-ycD0KPsxFPlqIEgUS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQM1yAaYgc1bunnkL8sOya59GvZHjD_7bkZrzDUL-2lGvUsGLIqQqF5EzSbr9km0FznsGchR2yu1uYa27QNY9M5TCyvKhSKOrqmybFoQYq7emW8CIFtdzadrzmD3h9CLnJ9z-eskLA-ycD0KPsxFPlqIEgUS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQM1yAaYgc1bunnkL8sOya59GvZHjD_7bkZrzDUL-2lGvUsGLIqQqF5EzSbr9km0FznsGchR2yu1uYa27QNY9M5TCyvKhSKOrqmybFoQYq7emW8CIFtdzadrzmD3h9CLnJ9z-eskLA-ycD0KPsxFPlqIEgUS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQM1yAaYgc1bunnkL8sOya59GvZHjD_7bkZrzDUL-2lGvUsGLIqQqF5EzSbr9km0FznsGchR2yu1uYa27QNY9M5TCyvKhSKOrqmybFoQYq7emW8CIFtdzadrzmD3h9CLnJ9z-eskLA-ycD0KPsxFPlqIEgUS-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":367125,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=367125","url_meta":{"origin":441256,"position":2},"title":"Solar Activity Linked to Ocean\u00a0Cycles","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/21\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The surface-subsurface layers of the ocean that interact with the lower atmosphere alternately release and absorb heat energy.","rel":"","context":"In \"Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)\"","block_context":{"text":"Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=atlantic-multidecadal-oscillation-amo"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0bright-sun-shining-over-the-splendid-coastline-49903-2560x1600-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0bright-sun-shining-over-the-splendid-coastline-49903-2560x1600-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0bright-sun-shining-over-the-splendid-coastline-49903-2560x1600-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0bright-sun-shining-over-the-splendid-coastline-49903-2560x1600-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0bright-sun-shining-over-the-splendid-coastline-49903-2560x1600-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":303496,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=303496","url_meta":{"origin":441256,"position":3},"title":"The Coming Collapse Of El Nino and The Ramifications on The Atlantic Basin Tropical Season","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/20\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Above-normal sea surface temperatures continue this month across most of the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean, but there are signs that this El Nino episode which began about a year ago will flip to La Nina conditions (colder-than-normal) by the early part of the 2024 summer season.","rel":"","context":"In \"2024 Atlantic Basin\"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Atlantic Basin","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=2024-atlantic-basin"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0el-nino-la-nina.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0el-nino-la-nina.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0el-nino-la-nina.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0el-nino-la-nina.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0el-nino-la-nina.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":304416,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=304416","url_meta":{"origin":441256,"position":4},"title":"Top Climate Model Improved to Show ENSO\u00a0Skill","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/26\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Previous posts (linked at end) discuss how the\u00a0climate model from RAS (Russian Academy of Science)\u00a0has evolved through several versions. The interest arose because of its\u00a0greater ability to replicate the past temperature history.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In \"climate model\"","block_context":{"text":"climate model","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-model"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0ENSO_schematic_large.png?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0ENSO_schematic_large.png?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0ENSO_schematic_large.png?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0ENSO_schematic_large.png?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0ENSO_schematic_large.png?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":339497,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=339497","url_meta":{"origin":441256,"position":5},"title":"NOAA Criteria Suggest Full-Fledged La Ni\u00f1a Unlikely in 2024 \u2013 Even A Single La Ni\u00f1a Threshold Unlikely During the Indian Southwest Monsoon","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/13\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Concluding from the above analysis, Enso Neutral conditions will prevail for JJA2024 and at the end of August, since only four months will be left in the current year 2024 full-fledged La Nina cannot be established, even if La Nina thresh hold is achieved in any of the four months\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate Prediction Center (CPC)\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate Prediction Center (CPC)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-prediction-center-cpc"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0-La-Nina.jpeg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0-La-Nina.jpeg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0-La-Nina.jpeg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0-La-Nina.jpeg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0-La-Nina.jpeg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=441256"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":441278,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441256\/revisions\/441278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/441257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=441256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=441256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=441256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}