NOAA declares El Niño; models forecast historic strength (opens in new tab)

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed June 11 that El Niño conditions had formed in the tropical Pacific after above-average sea-surface temperatures developed across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. NOAA said there is a 63% chance of a very strong El Niño from November through January that would rank among the largest events in the historical record going back to 1950. El Niño is the warm phase of a natural Pacific climate cycle that shifts winds, rain...