Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumU.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Downgrades El Niņo Impact
REUTERS / 9-7-2012
The U.S. government forecaster has issued its most definitive report since first raising the El Niño alert three months ago, forecasting a weak phenomenon that will last until the Northern Hemisphere spring.
The latest assessment from the U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) could reduce the risk of a major drought in Asia, which produces some of the worlds major food staples such as sugar cane and grains. But it is unlikely to offset mounting fears about global food supplies.
The much-feared El Niño will develop weakly this month after mostly neutral conditions in August and persist through February of next year, the CPC predicted in its monthly report. It had forecast weak-to-moderate conditions in August.
At this point the most likely outcome is a weaker event, Michelle LHeureux, meteorologist and head of the CPC team that assesses the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, told Reuters.
STORY: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/09/07/262183.htm
The aticle adds that a strong El Nino can cause widespread drought in Australia, parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and India while bringing rain to other parts of the world.
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Auggie
(31,067 posts)Selfish, I know, because it means other parts of the world risk drought. Hopefully we'll see a little spike here anyhow. Last year was on the dry side. Two years in a row would be problematic.
xchrom
(108,903 posts)we always got a little some thing -- some times more than we wanted -- from an el nino.