El Nino development slows: Australia

Reuters 19 Aug 09;

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The development of a potentially damaging El Nino weather pattern has not intensified in the past two weeks, though the odds remain in favor of 2009 being an El Nino year, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday.

In its fortnightly review, the bureau said the coupling between the ocean and atmosphere which amplifies and maintains El Nino events has so far failed to eventuate.

The bureau had said on Tuesday that the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) for the 30 days to Aug 15 was minus 4, down from minus 2 the previous week and pointing to a strengthening El Nino weather pattern.

The SOI is a major indicator of an El Nino. A consistently negative SOI points to the development of an El Nino weather pattern which can bring drought conditions to Australia and weaken Asian monsoons, damaging crop and livestock production.

The SOI measures the pressure difference between the Pacific island of Tahiti and the Australian city of Darwin.

For the bureau's full report see: www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/

(Reporting by Jonathan Standing; Editing by Michael Perry)