@washingtonpost: El Niño is a natural warming of ocean waters in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific that develops every two to seven years. Water temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, where El Niño is measured, have now surged more than 3.4 degrees Celsius (6.1 degrees Fahrenheit) above average, topping the previous record from November 2015 — and they continue to rise. This El Niño may reach heights by the end of the year that have never been observed before.