El Niño could become record-breaking as CPC raises odds

El Niño is developing faster than expected and forecasters say the odds are increasing that it could reach a historically strong, perhaps even 'Super', level by fall or winter. The Climate Prediction Center and NOAA project about a two-thirds chance that peak strength will be strong or very strong, aided by a large warm-water pool in the central and eastern Pacific. Regardless of whether it reaches super status, a stronger El Niño would likely boost global temperatures and influence weather worldwide—potentially stronger droughts or heat in some regions, and wetter winters and changes to hurricane activity in others—though there remains uncertainty about how strong the peak will be.