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El Nino is likely to emerge as early as July: Australia

[May 06, 2014]  SYDNEY (Reuters) —  Climate data indicates an El Nino weather pattern is likely to emerge as early as July, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Tuesday, adding that the chance of the event remains at 70 percent.

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, curbing food supply.

The bureau said sub-surface sea temperatures had warmed by as much as 6 degrees in recent months. Higher sea temperatures prompted an Australian climate scientist on Monday to warn that the weather event, which can cause both floods and drought in different parts of the globe, could be one of the strongest in nearly two decades.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Ed Davies)

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