As of late August 2014, tropical atmospheric temperatures appear to be responding more strongly to the ocean than they typically do at this early stage of El Niño development.
Along with ENSO, what other climate patterns might be useful for predicting temperatures and precipitation in the United States?
Where is El Niño? How is this year different from 2012 when El Niño was predicted, but never arrived?
Why hasn't El Niño been declared yet? The answer might lie in the gradients of sea surface temperatures across the tropical Pacific Ocean.