Publication Date May 24, 2016 | The Weather Channel

Record-Tying Strong El Niño 2015-16 May Finally Have Fizzled

Ensemble model forecasts of SST anomalies in the Niño 3.4 region from April to December 2016, showing the potential La Niña developing by summer 2016. Image: NOAA/CPC
Ensemble model forecasts of SST anomalies in the Niño 3.4 region from April to December 2016, showing the potential La Niña developing by summer 2016. Image: NOAA/CPC

The El Niño of 2015-16 may have finally dissipated, according to just-released data from NOAA.

Sea-surface temperature anomalies in the so-called Niño 3.4 region of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean dipped below the +0.5 degree Celsius El Niño threshold the week of May 15-21, after three-month running mean anomalies tied the record for the strongest El Niño this past winter.