The latest information on El Nino

14 June 2010

The El Niño started to weaken since January this year. Sea surface temperatures of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific have returned to normal in May. The latest forecasts by a number of climate models around the world indicate that the sea surface temperatures would continue to decrease in the next couple of months. The possibility of a La Niña developing in the second half of 2010 cannot be ruled out.

El Niño and La Niña refer to the warming and cooling of surface waters over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean which affect the atmospheric circulation worldwide and regional climate in many parts of the world.

Please visit the Hong Kong Observatory website (http://www.hko.gov.hk/lrf/enso/enso-front.htm) for information on El Niño and La Niña.