La Nina developing in the Pacific Ocean

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The World Meteorological Organization is warning a La Nina, phenomenon is developing in the sea off the western coast of South America.

Under the La Nina effect, sea-surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific fall below normal and this disrupts weather patterns in many parts of the globe.

The weathermen say temperatures in the region have been below normal since the start of the year.

La Nina, which has the opposite effects to the more notorious El Nino, last occurred from mid-1998 to early 2001.

It brings far dryer weather to the southwestern United States, and western Latin America and above-average rainfall to Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stories/asiapacific_stories_1583976.htm

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Australia's National Climate Centre is warning predictions of a La Nina event in the country are premature.

The World Meteorology Organisation in Geneva says falling temperatures in Pacific Ocean currents mean the La Nina event and higher rainfalls are on the way.

But the National Climate Centre's Grant Beard says the timing is all wrong.

He says the effects on Australia's climate may be short lived.

"But what we have seen, even though we are not calling it a La Nina, we have seen fairly significant cooling in the Pacific starting in about our late spring and going through summer," he said.

"So the timing is around about six months out of phase, completely opposite from what we'd normally see."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1588587.htm