Yes atmospheric temperatures peaked in 1998. But you have to analyze what is happening beneath the surface (literally and metaphorically). To over-simply it a tad, atmospheric temperatures spike during El Niño because instead of heat being absorbed into the Pacific cold tongue and stored in the IPWP (and then circulated poleward via enhanced boundary currents associated with stronger oceanic highs), that stored oceanic heat is sloshed eastward over the cold tongue, where it is conducted into the atmosphere, augmenting convection/cloud cover and extratropical circulation, all of which act to expel it to space. When strong/super Niños are followed by powerful Niñas (especially the 3+ year Niñas) you will almost always be observe a “step change” upwards in global temperatures following the conclusion of the La Niña. People erroneously attribute this to the El Niño, but in reality it is solely a function of the multiyear strong Niña. Examples: - 3 year Niña 1973-74 - 1975/76: Great Pacific Climate Shift and global temp jump follows in 1977. - 3 year Niña 1998/99 - 2000/01: Significant global temp jump and multiyear rudderless ENSO/PMM cycle follow. - 3 year Niña 2020/21 - 2022/23: Gargantuan global temp spike with 2023/24 Niño (very large relative to amplitude of Niño). Also the historic stretch of -ENSO dominance from 2007/08 to 2013/14 (6 of 7 years -ENSO) led to a very large WWV buildup and expansion of the IPWP, which was released with the 2015/16 super Niño. Ironically that was going well, with no flip back to Niña in 16/17, and steady gradual cooling with the multiyear +ENSO 2018-20 expelling more heat without additional global temperature spikes. Until that 3-year Niña torpedoed it all.

10.0!! Go big or go home! Our earthquake insurance could come in handy.

I don't believe there is any precedent in the recorded era for another strong Nino only 3 years after the last one... let alone if it becomes a super Nino. There have been 4-5 year gaps before though.

VAAAAAAAANNNNNCOOOOOUVER

Weird how the world works. We'd probably share a beer or two over this.