Yea, same page, I don't need convincing that this el nino will eventually couple...my thoughts have been consistent on a strong ONI peak rather than intense/super.
Look to me like one in which development has stagnated as it slowly migrates westward.
But I'm sure the IOD, MJO and everything else under the sun are conspiring to change that as we speak.
That makes sense to me as far as where I expect this event to end up...weaker than the first two, but more impressive than the second group...perhaps a touch stronger than 2009-2010.
2009 isn't an east-based el nino, but agree its a decent analog.
Here is my blend for September...there are plenty of more modest ENSO matches in there.
I can't think of a physical reason, aside from maybe the unfavorable Pacific not allowing the s stream to amplify enough to run the orgy all the way up the coast.
The ONI belies the true nature of this el nino event because its an archaic metric. This is why I bombed operating under the premise of a modest el nino a few years back when in fact there was no el nino.