By Jae Hur
Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The El Nino warming of the equatorial Pacific, an event that can change weather patterns worldwide, will probably last into the first quarter of next year, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Sea-surface temperatures had “generally risen to between 0.5 and 1 degree Celsius warmer than normal by the end of June, with similar temperatures observed in July,” the Geneva-based organization said yesterday in an update. “This warming resembles the early stages of an El Nino event.”
El Ninos can disrupt farm output worldwide, parching parts of Asia, while dumping increased rain in California. Indonesia, the third-largest rice grower, cut its 2010 output forecast Aug. 17 on concern the El Nino may curb the expansion of the harvest.
The forecast from the World Meteorological Office is in line with that from the U.S. National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, which said on Aug. 6 that the El Nino will probably intensify and last in 2010.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jae Hur in Singapore at jhur1@bloomberg.net
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