The latest information on El Nino

The El Niño, which commenced development in the summer of 2009, had peaked in December last year and showed signs of weakening in the last couple of months. Based on the latest forecasts of climate models, the El Niño would continue to weaken, with sea surface temperatures of the tropical Pacific likely to resume normal by early this summer.

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 ("the little boy" or "the Christ Child" in Spanish).

Please visit the Hong Kong Observatory website (http://www.hko.gov.hk/lrf/enso/enso.htm) for the latest information on El Niño.