this El Nino is shaping up to be the strongest since records began in 1950.

[pscot]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/el-nino-set-strongest-150913093902800.html?

Aside from the devastating effect that El Nino has on the Peruvian fishing industry, the real significance lies in the change in weather patterns that it produces around the globe. Changes in the weather around the Pacific region are hardly surprising, but almost every continent is impacted by a strong El Nino.
....
In Australia, many parts of the country have had an exceptionally hot summer with temperatures regularly exceeding 40C.

.....

In North America, where much of the south and west has been experiencing the worst drought in a century, the El Nino could bring the benefit of rain, although if the El Nino of 1997-98 is anything to go by, that rain could result in severe flooding and deaths.

In the Caribbean, the developing El Nino has already had the opposite effect to the one experienced in the Pacific: namely, it has reduced hurricane frequency by causing an increase in wind shear. This is a change of wind direction and speed with height that can disrupt hurricane formation.

In Africa, El Ninos are associated with drought across southern portions of the continent, and drought in countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa is causing a looming food crisis.

[Warpy]

1. Oz has just been through a winter that saw

an Antarctic vortex parked over the country, giving them record breaking cold after a record breaking hot summer. The extremes are getting wider all over the place.

[pscot]

2. We're lucky

to live in interesting times.

[Warpy]

3. If things continue like this

They're about to get downright fascinating.