The latest information on El Nino

The latest information on El Niño and La Niña is now available on the Hong Kong Observatory website (http://www.hko.gov.hk/lrf/enso/enso.htm). According to the latest predictions by global models, the current warm conditions over the tropical Pacific will continue and develop into an El Niño event by the end of 2009. Statistically, under the influence of El Niño, Hong Kong is likely to experience slightly warmer winters and wetter springs.

El Niño is characterized by above-normal sea surface temperatures over the central to eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean off the Peruvian coast. It usually peaks around Christmas, hence the name of the phenomenon (Spanish for "the little boy" or "the Christ Child"). In contrast, La Nina, "the little girl" in Spanish, is characterized by below-normal sea surface temperatures in the central to eastern equatorial Pacific. These changes in sea surface temperatures affect the atmospheric circulation worldwide and can last 12 months or more.