January 2026 Sea Surface Temperature Analysis
In January 2026, the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly map (top left) continued to show a cooling pattern in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, consistent with an ongoing La Niña condition, but with a weakening trend observed in recent weeks.
Warm to slightly warm SST anomalies were present in the Philippine Sea, as well as in both the monitored northern and southern regions of the Tripole Pacific Index (TPI). Meanwhile, considerable parts of the central North Pacific were considerably warmer, indicative of a negative PDO.
In the Indian Ocean, slightly warmer SST anomalies are observed in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean (i.e., EIO), while average to slightly cooler SST anomalies were observed in the western Indian Ocean (i.e., WIO), reflecting a neutral dipole pattern. In general, there is no prominent tropical Indian Ocean-wide SST anomaly (i.e., IOBW).
Lastly, the tropical North Atlantic (i.e., TNA) indicates average to slightly cooler SST anomalies.
The maps on the right (top to bottom) indicate the observed SST for January 2026 and the climatological normal from 1991 to 2020, providing context for the SST anomaly maps.
