El Niño/La Niña Update (October 2017)

Sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean have recently cooled to below normal and are approaching La Niña levels, while most atmospheric indicators have remained ENSO-neutral. Climate models surveyed indicate that weak La Niña conditions may develop along the central to eastern tropical Pacific in the last quarter of 2017, but then weaken to ENSO-neutral in the first quarter of 2018.