Australia puts chance of El Niño in 2019 at 70 per cent

An El Niño weather event can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the world and is associated with warmer, dry weather across the Asia Pacific.

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El Niños are particularly damaging to Australia, with the last one in 2015/16 cutting farm production in the country – among the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products. (Representational Image)

A recent warming of the Pacific Ocean has led to a 70 per cent chance of an El Niño weather event developing this year, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said on Tuesday.

An El Niño weather event can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the world and is associated with warmer, dry weather across the Asia Pacific.

Australia’s weather bureau earlier this month pegged the chance of an El Niño developing at 50 per cent.

El Niños are particularly damaging to Australia, with the last one in 2015/16 cutting farm production in the country – among the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products.