Japan reiterates El Nino to continue into winter

Osamu Tsukimori PlanetArk 11 Sep 15;

Japan's weather bureau said on Thursday that an El Nino weather pattern was continuing and reiterated there was a strong possibility it would stretch into winter.

The current El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to peak between October and January and could turn into one of the strongest on record, experts from the World Meteorological Organization said last week.

The El Nino - a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific - can trigger drought in Southeast Asia and Australia and floods in South America, hitting production of key foods such as rice, wheat and sugar.

(Editing by Himani Sarkar)