El Nino can last until the end of the first quarter of 2007

El Nino formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean with moderate intensity and will continue to cause weather fluctuations at least until the end of the first quarter of 2007, reported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). issued on December 1

WMO said that although the intensity of El Nino is moderate, it does not mean that its harm will not be significant.

According to WMO experts, El Nino can "turn up" the weather across a large area from the Latin American waters to Eastern Africa, thereby expanding the scope of global influence.

WMO said that in the area along the tropical Pacific Ocean, the temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the average temperature in October every year and it is expected to continue to rise.

Mr. Rupa Kumarkolli, expert on El Nino of WMO, cited that Australia and Indonesia are affected by severe droughts, while in the Atlantic, this year's storm is surprisingly quiet. In this area, whenever El Nino appears, storms are often less and intensity is weaker.

The photo illustrates the effects of El Nino in the region
(Photos: cnn.com, TTO)

Previous El Nino episodes often caused droughts in Australia, flooding in Southeast Asia, severe rains in parts of South America and Eastern Africa, while winters in the US and Canada were warmer.

The intense El Nino in two years 1997-98 was the cause of massive natural disasters across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia, killing 22,000 people and causing serious material losses ( estimated at 34 billion USD, especially for Asian economies struggling with the financial crisis.