The Climate Prediction Center and World Meteorological Organization have both forecasted a weak El Niño event to develop this month that may last until February.
The phenomenon, which causes warmer Pacific Ocean temperatures and often causes drought in Australia and parts of Asia, has been linked this year with unusually dry conditions in the Philippines, Northeastern Brazil, southeastern Africa, Australia, Indonesia, and parts of Asia according to the WMO.
“A weak El Nino may develop in September and October and last until the northern hemisphere winter,” the WMO said in a statement.
The WMO also said that El Nino is associated with wetter-than-normal conditions in Ecuador, northern Peru, southern Brazil to central Argentina and parts of eastern Africa.
“The majority of these climate forecast models say that there is a ‘moderately high likelihood’ of an El Nino.” WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis told a news briefing.
With recent drought conditions in North America, and the worst drought in a century for American crops, governments around the world are bracing for the effects of an El Niño event to occur, no matter how small.
