'Moderate' El Nino could last three months

A “moderate” El Nino weather system has developed in the tropical Pacific Ocean and could create unusual and severe weather patterns around the world, the UN weather agency said today.

The condition, which is linked to warmer surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean during the latter months of the year, is likely to intensify over the next three months but will probably not exceed the “moderate” category, Mark Oliver of the World Meteorological Organisation said.