For months, the world has been watching El Niño develop at breakneck speed. Now, sea surface temperatures in the central equatorial Pacific have surpassed levels observed during any previous event, officially making this El Niño the strongest on record.

El Niño is rapidly strengthening in the Pacific, and forecasters say there is now a 75% chance it could reach historic levels. Here's what that could mean for winter across the U.S.

Curious how the forthcoming El Niño will affect winter or hurricane season? Here are answers to your FAQs.

A defining sign of El Niño is a tongue-shaped band of unusually warm water extending thousands of miles along the equator.

"That part of the eastern Pacific is notorious during El Niño years."

La Jolla Shores, Tourmaline Surf Park, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, and Sunset Cliffs have been identified as critical project sites.

The newest three-month forecast just issued follows the El Niño playbook.

A major hurricane is expected to drop feet of rain on Hawaii's already-sodden Big Island, likely causing "considerable to locally catastrophic" flooding, the National Weather Service said.