El Nino may upset monsoon this year: Report

New Delhi, March 16  

El Nino may make a comeback this year to upset the expectations of a good monsoon, according to a report by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

El Nino is a climate cycle formed in the Pacific Ocean with an impact on weather patterns across the globe. The cycle begins when warm water in the western tropical Pacific Ocean shifts eastward along the equator towards the coast of South America.

NOAA forecasters have said that there is a 60 per cent chance of El Nino conditions continuing through June to August in India. The IMD, however, maintained that neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation  conditions are prevailing at present, indicating weak El Nino formation. 

“El Nino was supposed to start at the end of last year but it was wrongly predicted. At present, there is a very weak prevalence of El Nino. Some models suggest that it would retain for the next two to three months, and only thereafter it will weaken. Even at this stage it is weak,” DS Pai, a IMD scientist, said. — IANS