2026-2027 Super El Nino

[mitchnick]

On 5/15/2026 at 12:50 PM, bluewave said:

You can see the general outline of the May El Niño 500 mb composite taking shape with alterations probably due to the competing marine heatwaves.

The coming near to record May heatwave forecast for the East next week is much warmer than we typically see with such strong developing El Niños.

Stronger Southeast ridge could be a function of the weaker RONI relative to ONI and more general subtropical ridging adding a more Niña-like flavor to the mix. 

The May Western North America El Niño ridge is located a little further SW than usual with the weaker Baja trough than they typically see. 
 

May 4th to 11th strong Nino ridge in SW Canada and Aleutian low north of Hawaii

Forecast May 18th to 25th

 

 

 

 

Looks like the Euro failed on this warm forecast. 

[MarcmmKU]

On 5/17/2026 at 9:55 PM, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

Even that was a -PNA Winter

We haven't had classic Strong Nino since 2016

Very hard to escape -pna now. Was kinda a miracle this last winter was better in that regard.

[MarcmmKU]

On 5/17/2026 at 10:06 PM, michsnowfreak said:

2015-16 had multiple wintry bouts outside the torch December. I feel like for here, a strong (or super) nino is going to have 1 horrendous month and the rest of the time will have multiple chances that make or break how bad (or good) the winter is. Its different in the east coast where it seems going on getting (or not getting) one massive storm will be the story of a strong nino winter. 

For the interior northeast strong nino is almost always bad news. Coast can get a good fraction of their seasonal totals from 1 KU type storm, which are more likely to occur in traditional niños.

[michsnowfreak]

23 minutes ago, MarcmmKU said:

For the interior northeast strong nino is almost always bad news. Coast can get a good fraction of their seasonal totals from 1 KU type storm, which are more likely to occur in traditional niños.

Same here in the Great Lakes- strong ninos usually are bad news. But its all relative. Winters in the Lakes and interior northeast are much harsher than the coast. So winter is more often characterized as a whole versus the coast where one huge storm (or lackthereof) often makes or breaks the winter. So basically, I already know im going to have winter, its just highly likely I'll get less of it than usual. Whereas those along coast from NYC south to the midatlantic wont be surprised in April 2027 if they've just seen a 5" winter with no storms or a 35" winter thanks to a massive storm.  

[MarcmmKU]

2 minutes ago, michsnowfreak said:

Same here in the Great Lakes- strong ninos usually are bad news. But its all relative. Winters in the Lakes and interior northeast are much harsher than the coast. So winter is more often characterized as a whole versus the coast where one huge storm (or lackthereof) often makes or breaks the winter. So basically, I already know im going to have winter, its just highly likely I'll get less of it than usual. Whereas those along coast from NYC south to the midatlantic wont be surprised in April 2027 if they've just seen a 5" winter with no storms or a 35" winter thanks to a massive storm.  

Totally agree. I'm an avid skier and strong ninos make my gut sink. I am praying we don't see a repeat of 2015-2016 in Vermont. Would be a disaster.

[MarcmmKU]

Food for thought is that this nino isn't really coupling well to real time observations in South America. A typical nino response down there is for lots and lots of precip in the central andes in Chile. So far bone dry and anomalously warm for may there, especially in a burgeoning strong nino.

[snowman19]

[snowman19]

“Southern Oscillation Index is the most negative it has been with the current #ElNiño event. The subsurface warmth will continue to surface taking the SOI even more negative in time. This is the ocean/atmospheric coupling that is necessary. This is why it was important to recognize that El Niño impacts (not equal or the same everywhere) were going to occur much sooner than the "fall/winter narrative"

[bluewave]

11 hours ago, mitchnick said:

Looks like the Euro failed on this warm forecast. 

Most of the guidance missed the record 100° heat last week from the long range guidance earlier in the month. Models don’t do very well with extremes beyond the week one and week two forecast periods.

My guess is that the guidance beyond 15 days just reverts to whatever ENSO climo applies to the situation. In this case it was the usually cooler May climo it was forecasting to continue.

So it missed the strong MJO 4-6 pulse which is very warm in the East. This was also why the Euro and other seasonal models missed the warmth in the East for the 2023-2024 super El Niño. They had the stock El Niño composite with a deep trough in the East.

Instead we got the record MJO 4-6 pulse with the more Niña-like January 2024 even with the recent +2.1 ONI in Nino 3.4. So the long range model forecasts were reverting to the typical El Niño 500mb composite. 

Something similar happened in December 2015 with the long range model forecasts missing the record warmth in the East due to the record MJO 5. 

So long range models like to forecast just for whatever the ENSO is and they can’t resolve the MJO activity in the IO to WPAC. The record warm pool there has been resulting in more frequent and stronger MJO 4-7 activity than the old days when the SSTs were significantly cooler there. 
 

 

[GaWx]

The latest weekly BoM, which just extended to Nov for the first time, is forecasting a +2.9C RONI in SON. The record back to 1950 is +2.5C (1982). However, caution on the ultimate strength is advised due to warm bias as it’s been significantly too warm in April and May:

 

[GaWx]

More on the BoM warm bias: We remember how bad it was in 2023. But also: only 2 weeks ago, it had ~+1.15C for May (see image below) vs the latest’s only ~+0.55C in the image I posted in the previous post! It’s been doing this for 2 months and that’s the kind of thing it kept doing in 2023. We’re still likely headed for a super-Nino, but very likely not as warm as the RONI based ~+3.0C 3 month average super-super Nino the BoM is showing. It could easily be 0.5C too warm based on April/May and based on it being ~0.75C too warm based on forecasts from around this point in 2023:

[snowman19]

 

“Getting this sort of MJO-driven reinforcement of the developing #ElNiño with a massive westerly wind burst is a pretty good indicator that this event is going to be a very strong one. No sustained easterlies to interrupt the last Kelvin Wave, and this next WWB should push the warm pool even further east. Probably why even the *relative* SST anomalies are pushing 3-3.5C in some of the latest forecasts.”

 

 

 

[Stormchaserchuck1]

Good run of -SOI.. we could make a run at most negative 2-month period (Apr-May '26) since 2016

25 May 2026	1011.06	1012.85	-25.41	-12.61	-3.54
24 May 2026	1010.19	1012.80	-31.69	-12.71	-3.18
23 May 2026	1011.70	1012.55	-18.21	-12.02	-2.76
22 May 2026	1012.15	1013.20	-19.74	-11.50	-2.49
21 May 2026	1010.85	1013.05	-28.55

[snowman19]

1 hour ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

Good run of -SOI.. we could make a run at most negative 2-month period (Apr-May) since 2016

25 May 2026	1011.06	1012.85	-25.41	-12.61	-3.54
24 May 2026	1010.19	1012.80	-31.69	-12.71	-3.18
23 May 2026	1011.70	1012.55	-18.21	-12.02	-2.76
22 May 2026	1012.15	1013.20	-19.74	-11.50	-2.49
21 May 2026	1010.85	1013.05	-28.55

Massive +AAM spike coming and an El Nino standing wave is developing. It’s absolutely coupling (ocean-atmosphere) and coupling strongly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Per Paul Roundy we are about to pull ahead of 1997

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stormchaserchuck1]

Just not really seeing the corresponding pressure patterns in the North and South Pacific so far, in the mid latitudes. 

1997 and 1982: notice how -SLP stretched in the Hadley Cell from 180E to 360E

[Stormchaserchuck1]

Why do you think the PNA and Southern Hemisphere High pressure is not responding so far? The same thing happened in 23-24. There's definitely an El Nino building in many aspects, but it's not propagating to the northern and southern latitudes as much as past examples, thus far, not a global dominating event.  The +AAM should produce more of a northern latitude favorable H5 pattern, let's see what happens there in the next few weeks. 

[LakePaste25]

54 minutes ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

Why do you think the PNA and Southern Hemisphere High pressure is not responding so far? The same thing happened in 23-24. There's definitely an El Nino building in many aspects, but it's not propagating to the northern and southern latitudes as much as past examples, thus far, not a global dominating event.  The +AAM should produce more of a northern latitude favorable H5 pattern, let's see what happens there in the next few weeks. 

Yup but I’m still taking a wait and see approach because it can still respond between now and Oct. Zero complaints if I end up with a more Nina-like summer and it’s hotter and less rainy. 

[roardog]

How high did the AAM get in 2023? I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of a response across the North Pacific as we go deeper into June if the forecasts for the rising AAM verify. 

[roardog]

1 hour ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

Why do you think the PNA and Southern Hemisphere High pressure is not responding so far? The same thing happened in 23-24. There's definitely an El Nino building in many aspects, but it's not propagating to the northern and southern latitudes as much as past examples, thus far, not a global dominating event.  The +AAM should produce more of a northern latitude favorable H5 pattern, let's see what happens there in the next few weeks. 

RONI is barely into Nino and we still have a -PDO. Maybe it’ll take a little time yet.

[Stormchaserchuck1]

I guess I've been harping on it a little much, you're right it's still early. If the AAM goes over +3, that's impressive and more of a -NPH signal for the rest of the year imo. It will be interesting to see what actually happens after that, as the AAM tends to see-saw between positive and negative bouts, about every 35-40 days. 

[jaxjagman]

Has there ever been a ENSO maybe comparable to this on other than maybe 2009?Even this WWB upcoming is seemingly going to combatted more or less with a EWB

[GaWx]

4 hours ago, roardog said:

How high did the AAM get in 2023? I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of a response across the North Pacific as we go deeper into June if the forecasts for the rising AAM verify. 

1. 2023 never got close to a +3 as far as I know.

2. Prior to today’s 0Z run, the highest CFSv2 progged peak mean I can recall seeing is this that I saved from 12/11/2023, which had 2 getting to +3 amp and the other 2 to +2 amp with a peak mean of ~+2.45:

 

3. However, this run turned out to be way off as just 6 days later it had this, a progged peak of only ~+1.45 and actual peak was only in the low +1s from other runs I saved:

 

4. Today’s 0Z by a good margin had the highest progged mean that I’m aware of any run I’ve seen because otherwise I would have saved them: insane progged peak probably (since can’t see green member peak) ~+3.5!!

 

5. But the newest run (12Z) came back to Earth quite a bit from the insane +3.5 although it’s still progging a potent peak at +2.3, which is still the 3rd highest progged peak I’ve saved:

 

6. Keep in mind that the first time I had seen these charts wasn’t til 2023. Thus I have no idea what it peaked at in prior strong El Niños.

7. Keep in mind that while I like to follow this guidance, it is the CFSv2. So, although well worth following, always take with a grain, especially out 2 weeks+!

@Stormchaserchuck1

@snowman19

[roardog]

1 hour ago, jaxjagman said:

Has there ever been a ENSO maybe comparable to this on other than maybe 2009?Even this WWB upcoming is seemingly going to combatted more or less with a EWB

I’m not as educated on some of this enso stuff as a lot of you guys are so I didn’t say anything but I was thinking the same as you just said. I feel like 2023 didn’t have that but I could be wrong. 

[40/70 Benchmark]

14 hours ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

I guess I've been harping on it a little much, you're right it's still early. If the AAM goes over +3, that's impressive and more of a -NPH signal for the rest of the year imo. It will be interesting to see what actually happens after that, as the AAM tends to see-saw between positive and negative bouts, about every 35-40 days. 

I don't think so....pretty much the key to next winter IMHO.

[bluewave]

On 5/21/2026 at 9:20 PM, BlizzardWx said:

The last few years we've done that mid summer PDO nosedive. I think that will be an early clue for this winter for what path we are on. If we can avoid driving off the PDO cliff maybe things really are changing.

 

Main issue has been the 500mb ridge east of Japan warming the SSTs below. So even though we have sufficient warming in the EPAC with the record +PMM, the warm pool under the ridge east of a Japan brings down the PDO.

Long range models like the CFS have struggled with this ridge in their forecasts. So like we saw last summer, the actual readings verified significantly lower.

FWIW, the CFS continues with the -PDO at least into early next winter due to the warm pool and ridging east of Japan persisting.
 

 

 

[40/70 Benchmark]

23 minutes ago, bluewave said:

Main issue has been the 500mb ridge east of Japan warming the SSTs below. So even though we have sufficient warming in the EPAC with the record +PMM, the warm pool under the ridge east of a Japan brings down the PDO.

Long range models like the CFS have struggled with this ridge in their forecasts. So like we saw last summer, the actual readings verified significantly lower.

FWIW, the CFS continues with the -PDO at least into early next winter due to the warm pool and ridging east of Japan persisting.
 

 

 

I wonder if the eastern Pacific playing a bit of catch up has helped the northern Pacific get more favorable over the last couple of years, which helps more with respect to cold than snow, as we still have the issue of the stronger jet to contend with. We need to find a way to cool the west Pacific to mitigate that.

[40/70 Benchmark]

On 5/24/2026 at 7:44 PM, MarcmmKU said:

Very hard to escape -pna now. Was kinda a miracle this last winter was better in that regard.

No it wasn't. It was clear as day that January would be +PNA at several months lead time if you knew what to look for.

[bluewave]

1 hour ago, 40/70 Benchmark said:

I wonder if the eastern Pacific playing a bit of catch up has helped the northern Pacific get more favorable over the last couple of years, which helps more with respect to cold than snow, as we still have the issue of the stronger jet to contend with. We need to find a way to cool the west Pacific to mitigate that.

Yeah, the PDO was able to be positive during the 1995-1996 weak La Niña winter. This weak La Niña winter had the ridges and troughs in the same general locations.

But notice how the ridges this winter were so much stronger leading to the much warmer CONUS and less snowy outcome than 1995-1996. We can see the ridge extension to the east of a Japan during DJF preventing the PDO from going positive.

Plus the more volatile NAO these days didn’t allow the -NAO to persist into the spring like we had back in 1995-1996. So March turned out to be a reversion to the warmer and less snowy 2020s mean. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GaWx]

54 minutes ago, snowman19 said:

If this is correct, we would smash the current RONI record (1982-83) by an entire degree. It would also smash the traditional ONI record….
 

What a sloppy Tweet by Leon Simons! He said:

“The Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI) forecast mean is now touching 3.5°C!”

 No, it isn’t. ONI is, not RONI. He then posted the latest ONI, which peaks at ~+3.5C in OND, instead of RONI. RONI actually peaks at ~+2.77C in OND as per this image:

[Stormchaserchuck1]

CFS has an extreme trend bias. It runs daily so you can find some big runs in there sometimes. The last few La Nina's it had peaks in the Mod-Strong ONI range on a few dailies.