What happened. Why it matters. Plainly.
Copernicus reported a record 29.70 C monthly sea-surface temperature in the Nino3.4 region in September; the article explains what that does and does not show.
Newsom proclaimed a statewide emergency ahead of a possibly record El Niño winter. The order also suspends California’s price-gouging cap for this event.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said in an advisory dated September 10, 2026, that this fall and winter’s El Nino has a greater than 90% chance of reaching