LondonThe Pacific stood 3.07C above average on 19 September.
That is 0.01C short of the 3.08C record, and El Niño temporarily boosts global temperatures.
The Niño 3.4 index measures central Pacific warmth against a 30-year average, and this event is developing faster than any on record.
Scientists using a 1991-2020 baseline have already called it a new record.
Every strong El Niño on record kept strengthening after mid-September, and peaks usually come in November or December.
How each outlet framed it
- Carbon Brief
- quantifies record—Niño 3.4 anomaly 3.07°C tied with 2015 peak (3.08°C), developing fastest on record, reaching typical-peak strength 2 months early
Sources: Carbon Brief