Geoff Bansen

El Niño communication is an absolute mess. For example: - Some are showing Daily Niño values - Some are showing Weekly Niño values - Some are showing Monthly Niño values - Some are showing 3-Month Niño values - Some are using Coral Reef Watch values - Some are showing RONI - Some are showing ONI - Some are showing Niño 1+2 - Some are showing Niño 3.4 - Some are showing temperatures in Fahrenheit - Some are showing temperatures in Celsius - Some are showing anomolies in Fahrenheit - Some are showing anomolies in Celsius El Niño communication feels like the Wild Wild West, we've got datasets and numbers all over the place. We need to find a way to tighten things up. NOAA changed its primary operational metric earlier this year, why is that not getting used more? The switch to RONI (Relative Oceanic Niño Index) was made because the traditional ONI was becoming increasingly problematic in a warming ocean. NOAA wanted an ENSO index that better represented the temperature contrast across the Pacific. With that said, using the new official RONI metric from NOAA, you'll see this El Niño is not the strongest...yet. Since 1950, that goes to the 1982/1983 El Niño event. If trends continue, however, the current El Niño will beat it later this Fall into early Winter. Stay tuned...