Multiple operational centers helped develop and apply a diagnostic to track the state of the MJO and skill of real-time numerical MJO forecasts.T he Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) is the dominant mode of intraseasonal variability across the global tropics and is a natural component of the coupled atmosphere-ocean system. The MJO is characterized by coherent eastward propagation of a large-scale pattern of increased rainfall (enhanced phase) followed by subsequent decreased rainfall (suppressed phase). The period of the MJO to complete a cycle across the global tropics typically ranges from 30 to 60 days. The large-scale rainfall perturbation is associated with a planetary-scale zonal overturning circulation anomaly along the equator that extends through the depth of the troposphere and that causes interactions with the ocean via variations of surface fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture (Madden and Julian 1971, 1972, 1994Zhang 2005).The MJO has been intensively studied during the past 35 years through both observational analysis and modeling studies, and it has been shown that the MJO can lead to numerous impacts affecting weather and climate (

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