So if this thing is gonna peak at 1.4 ONI (3 month), then MEI should get up to around 0.8.
The mid-atlantic has seen some decent to good winters with a MEI between 0.5-0.9. I’d prefer MEI to be 1.0-1.5, but I’d take 0.8 and run.
There’s also a chance that the CFS is overcorrecting, though