BEIJING: China’s National Climate Centre expects El Nino conditions to emerge in May and forecasts a moderate-or-stronger El Nino weather event in the summer and autumn, state media reported.
The El Nino event is expected to last “at least through the end of this year”, the NCC said.
The forecaster said it is too early to say if global temperatures will hit a record high this year, but “related risk is rising significantly”.
In China, the El Nino effect generally causes increased rainfall in southern regions during autumn, raising the risk of disruptions to the harvest of late-season rice.
El Nino could also lead to warmer-than-usual conditions in winter, reducing water supplies for spring ploughing the following year.