- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A
weak version of the climate phenomenon El Nino has emerged and will affect
U.S. weather by autumn, federal weather forecasters said on Thursday.
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- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced
the official return of what it described as a "milder, weaker"
El Nino than the powerful one in 1997-98 that unleashed worldwide droughts
and floods, killing 24,000.
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- El Nino, or "boy child" in Spanish, is an above-average
warming of waters in the eastern Pacific that occurs every four to five
years and distorts wind and rainfall patterns.
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- In a typical El Nino, the United States has fewer Atlantic
hurricanes and a milder summer rainy season in the U.S. Southwest. The
Pacific Northwest has less snow in the winter, while Gulf Coast states
may experience heavier rainfall.
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- Vernon Kousky, a NOAA meteorologist, said in a statement
that this year's El Nino would begin influencing U.S. weather this autumn
but that it "may not be strong enough" to affect hurricane development.
In May, NOAA predicted 9 to 13 tropical storms would occur during the hurricane
season, with 6 to 8 becoming hurricanes.
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- "This time around, El Nino will not be as powerful
as the 1997-98 event, but we'll track it closely for any change in its
projected strength," Kousky said.
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- The government declared El Nino had arrived after analyzing
data from environmental satellites and Pacific Ocean buoys showing slightly
above-average sea temperatures.
-
- Warmer ocean temperatures trigger a chain reaction of
atmospheric and weather changes around the globe. For example, Indonesia
is likely to have drier weather while the southern United States has wetter
weather.
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- Global forecasts on El Nino's arrival have varied, but
all have agreed that the weather anomaly was imminent.
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- The Philippine government said it expected El Nino to
bring drier weather in the fourth quarter of the year that will affect
its rice crop. In southern Africa, officials have warned that an existing
famine could worsen because of El Nino's impact on crop production.
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- In South America, scientists from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador
and Peru forecast its arrival in the last three months of this year.
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- El Nino was first reported by Latin American fishermen
in the 19th century and was named after the Christ child because it was
usually seen in Pacific waters around Christmas.
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