Australian weather bureau says El Nino event underway in tropical Pacific

Sydney: Australia's weather bureau on Tuesday said an El Nino event is underway in the tropical Pacific, ‌with ⁠atmospheric indicators ⁠like trade winds, pressure and cloud patterns aligning with the weather phenomenon.

Read more:El Nino may hit India's monsoon, rice and maize output: FAO

"Forecasts are pointing towards a strong ​to very ⁠strong El ‌Nino event, ​based ​on the extent ⁠of warming in the central tropical ​Pacific," the Bureau ​of Meteorology said.


El Nino is a periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the ‌central and eastern Pacific Ocean. One of the strongest ⁠such patterns occurred in 2015 and 2016, triggering widespread drought in Asia, which cut grain and oilseed output.