A villager looks for water as he walks on ground cracked by drought in Las Canoas Lake, some 59 km (50 miles) north of the capital. April 8,2010.The lack of rains caused by El Niño meterological Phenomena to decrease in water level of Lake Las Canoas, loc
IN PHOTO: A villager looks for water as he walks on ground cracked by drought in Las Canoas Lake, some 59 km (50 miles) north of the capital. April 8,2010.The lack of rains caused by El Niño meterological Phenomena to decrease in water level of Lake Las Canoas, located in the center of Nicaragua, affecting approximately 8 thousand peasants who live in surrounding areas.REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

Cyclone Pam, the strongest storm to hit the Pacific after Haiyan in 2013, may have increased the likelihood of an El Niño event later on in the year. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the strength of the Category 5 storm combined with tropical storm Bavi has resulted in one of the “strongest reversals” in trade winds in recent years.

Andrew Watkins, the bureau’s manager of climate prediction services, said the possibility of an El Niño happening was boosted with the force of Cyclone Pam. SMH reports that during an El Niño event, trade winds that usually move from east to west tend to weaken or reverse.

The bureau explained that the central and eastern equatorial Pacific will usually become warm relative to the west. Weather patterns may change, reducing rainfall in most of the country and others in southeast Asia.

Watkins said the number of anomalies for trade winds has increased from 3 metres per second up to 12 metres per second in the past week. El Niño is expected to have a significant effect on Australia’s weather. The bureau has predicted that Australia will have drier and warmer conditions across eastern states.

In the past year, climate scientists have observed near El Nino thresholds. The United States has experienced the same event earlier in March. The storms in the past week were strong enough to raise the odds of an El Niño event in the middle of 2015.

Watkins said most of the climate models suggest that the weather will continue to be warmer in the next few months and reach El Niño thresholds by June. However, he reiterated that climate predictions do not guarantee the occurrence of such an event.

Farmers in southeast Australia had been previously warned to prepare for a possible El Niño event. The Pacific tends to absorb less heat during the El Niño years. Global temperatures also rise by 0.1 to 0.2 degrees. Climate scientists warned that 2015 could see warmer weather compared to 2014.

To report problems or leave feedback on this article, contact: r.su@ibtimes.com.au

RELATED STORIES