Meteorologists believe Australia will experience a “super El Nino” this year, with the climate phenomenon likely to develop after three years of La Nina weather patterns.
Ken Kato of the Early Warning Network said that although the term wasn’t officially used, it’s likely that the weather phenomenon will be strong.
If El Nino forms as predicted, it’s likely to develop during winter and last until summer.
According to Mr. Kato, it can cause conditions to be drier than normal in parts of northern and eastern Australia, with daytime temperatures becoming higher than average.
El Nino can also cause bushfires to start spreading rapidly, and it can trigger coral bleaching in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
It’s referred to as the warm phase of a phenomenon known as the El Nino-Scientifique, which occurs when the sea surface temperatures in both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean get warmer than average.
Although El Nino is known to cause months of warm weather in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, La Nina is known to maintain a cooling period for several years.
Both phenomena have a significant effect on the climate in Australia.