The equatorial Pacific Ocean is suffering from a split personality disorder: El Niño-ish in the east; La Niña-ish to the west. El Niño is likely to win out.

Climate forecast models are predicting a full-fledged El Niño by summer or fall. If it should happen, it would bring all manner of disruption to global weather patterns.

And it would also be an extraordinary event.

If you’ll recall, in 2015-16, the planet experienced a monster El Niño event, one of the three strongest on record. I