Threat of El Nino eases, says Australian weather agency

Colin Packham PlanetArk 30 Jul 14;

Pacific Ocean temperatures have eased in recent weeks and an El Nino weather event later this year is now indicated by only a slight majority of climate models, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday.

"While the chance of an El Nino in 2014 has clearly eased, warmer-than-average waters persist in parts of the tropical Pacific, and the slight majority of climate models suggest El Niño remains likely for spring," the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said in an emailed statement.

While the Australian weather agency said an El Nino cannot be ruled out, it said that if the weather event does occur, it is increasingly unlikely to be a strong event.

El Nino - a warming of sea temperatures in the Pacific - affects wind patterns and can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the globe, hitting crops and food supply.

(Reporting by Colin Packham)