Luminos case study · Climate data
El Niño Monitor
How warm is the tropical Pacific right now, and how does it compare with the strongest El Niño years on record? This dashboard turns 75 years of NOAA sea surface temperature data into answers you can explore.
Real data · NOAA CPC · to JJA 2026
Latest ONI (JJA 2026)+1.80 °C
Strong
Current stateWarming
Above +0.5 °C for 3 seasons in a row
Niño 3.4 sea temperature29.09 °C
Rolling 3-month mean, JJA
Strongest El Niño since 1950+2.59 °C
NDJ 2015
Oceanic Niño Index, DJF 1950 – JJA 2026
Hover for values · click to jump the season tableWarm (El Niño side)Cool (La Niña side)±0.5 °C threshold
This year vs past strong El Niño years
Same season, different years19821997201520232026 (now)
Seasons by phase, 1950 to now
- El Niño215
- Neutral483
- La Niña221
Episodes
| Period | Seasons | Peak | Strength | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SON 2014 – AMJ 2016 | 20 | +2.59 °C | Very strong | |
| AMJ 1997 – MAM 1998 | 12 | +2.37 °C | Very strong | |
| AMJ 1982 – MJJ 1983 | 14 | +2.14 °C | Very strong | |
| MJJ 2023 – MAM 2024 | 11 | +1.99 °C | Strong | |
| MJJ 1972 – FMA 1973 | 10 | +1.84 °C | Strong | |
| MJJ 1965 – FMA 1966 | 10 | +1.82 °C | Strong | |
| MAM 1957 – AMJ 1958 | 14 | +1.69 °C | Strong | |
| MJJ 1991 – MJJ 1992 | 13 | +1.54 °C | Strong | |
| JJA 2009 – FMA 2010 | 9 | +1.50 °C | Strong | |
| ASO 1986 – DJF 1988 | 17 | +1.49 °C | Moderate | |
| JJA 1963 – JFM 1964 | 8 | +1.19 °C | Moderate | |
| JJA 2002 – JFM 2003 | 8 | +1.19 °C | Moderate | |
| ASO 2018 – MJJ 2019 | 10 | +1.05 °C | Moderate | |
| MJJ 1951 – DJF 1952 | 8 | +1.03 °C | Moderate | |
| SON 1968 – AMJ 1969 | 8 | +0.98 °C | Weak | |
| SON 1994 – JFM 1995 | 5 | +0.97 °C | Weak | |
| ASO 2006 – DJF 2007 | 5 | +0.88 °C | Weak | |
| ASO 1976 – JFM 1977 | 6 | +0.84 °C | Weak | |
| SON 1977 – JFM 1978 | 5 | +0.84 °C | Weak | |
| MAM 1953 – NDJ 1953 | 9 | +0.78 °C | Weak | |
| SON 2019 – FMA 2020 | 6 | +0.75 °C | Weak | |
| JAS 2004 – JFM 2005 | 7 | +0.71 °C | Weak |
Episodes by strength
El Niño- Very strong3
- Strong6
- Moderate5
- Weak8
Peak ONI: weak 0.5–0.9, moderate 1.0–1.4, strong 1.5–1.9, very strong 2.0 °C and above.
Season-by-season table, 2020s
DJFJFMFMAMAMAMJMJJJJAJASASOSONONDNDJ
20200.70.70.60.30.0-0.2-0.3-0.4-0.8-1.0-1.1-1.1
2021-1.0-0.8-0.7-0.6-0.4-0.3-0.3-0.5-0.6-0.8-0.9-0.8
2022-0.8-0.7-0.8-0.9-0.8-0.7-0.7-0.8-0.9-0.9-0.8-0.7
2023-0.5-0.3-0.10.20.50.71.01.31.51.71.92.0
20241.81.51.20.80.40.20.10.0-0.1-0.2-0.3-0.4
2025-0.5-0.2-0.10.00.00.0-0.1-0.3-0.4-0.6-0.6-0.6
2026-0.4-0.20.10.51.01.41.8
Source: NOAA Climate Prediction Center, Oceanic Niño Index (3-month running mean of ERSST.v5 sea surface temperature anomalies in the Niño 3.4 region), 919 seasons from DJF 1950 to JJA 2026. Episodes follow the historical rule of at least five overlapping seasons beyond ±0.5 °C. Since February 2026 NOAA uses the Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI) for official ENSO status, so official labels can differ from this view.