Worst El Nino in 15 years, will worsen by Dec

The World Meteorological Organization said El Nino, which occurs every two to seven years, had resurfaced a few months ago, become “mature and strong”, and was expected to become even more powerful by the end of the year.

“Severe droughts and devastating flooding being experienced throughout the tropics and sub-tropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Nino, which is the strongest in more than 15 years,” WMO chief Michel Jarraud said in a statement.

El Nino is triggered by a warming in sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. It can cause unusually heavy rains in some parts of the world and drought elsewhere.

The UN agency said this year’s event was expected to push water surface temperatures in the east-central Pacific Ocean more than two degrees Celsius above normal, making it one of the four strongest El Ninos since 1950. Previous particularly strong El Ninos occurred in 1972-73, 1982-83 and 1997-98.

The phenomenon usually leaves countries like India, Indonesia and Australia drier, increasing chances of wildfires and lower crop production. In recent months, bone-dry conditions caused by the El Nino have sparked some of the worst forest fires in Indonesia’s history.