Japan says El Nino has weakened, weather to return to normal by summer

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's meteorology agency said on Wednesday that the El Nino weather pattern, which is often linked to heavy rainfall and droughts, had somewhat weakened and that the weather would likely return to normal by summer. The Japan Meteorological Agency said last month that the El Nino phenomenon peaked between November and December, and that there was a strong possibility weather patterns would return to normal by summer. 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. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Tom Hogue)