El Nio is now 'strong' but acting strangely. What that means.

El Niño is creeping into “strong” territory, the National Weather Service’s latest advisory indicated Thursday, and the phenomenon is forecast to remain at least at this strength into the winter months. There is even a 35 percent chance that it becomes historically intense.

El Niño’s climate pattern, which begins with a warming of water temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, is a large-scale driver of atmospheric conditions that shuffles key weather systems around the world. But there’s an important wrinkle right now: The atmosphere hasn’t yet really responded to the building El Niño the way it typically does.

Meteorologists often rely on El Niño to offer insight into broad trends that might affect winter in the United States and other parts of the world. But a murky reflection of El Niño in the atmosphere so far raises questions about what the upcoming winter could have in store across the Lower 48 states.'>>>

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/11/10/el-nino-strong-forecast-winter/?