Australia weather bureau says tropical Pacific Ocean moves closer to El Nino conditions

Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The tropical Pacific Ocean is showing renewed signs of El Nino conditions, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday. The bureau upgraded its tracker system to "alert" from "watch", indicating there is at least a 70 percent chance of El Nino occurring. El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific that occurs every four to 12 years. It can trigger drought patterns in some parts of the world while causing flooding in others. The bureau added that not all indicators have shifted towards El Nino, but said that regardless of whether El Nino develops fully, warmer-than-average ocean temperatures "increase the chance of some El Nino-like impacts". (Reporting By Jane Wardell; Editing by Tom Hogue)