La Nina expected to strengthen
The strengthening La Nina poses the threat of further flooding for some countries whilst others face drought
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a statement in September of this year, stating that La Nina had re-emerged and was likely to strengthen into the winter. Today the Australian Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that La Nina is strengthening and likely to persist.
La Nina is a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon located over the tropical Pacific Ocean. When in place, it results in a below average temperatures across the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean, which then impacts upon the global weather patterns.
The La Nina event which started in 2010 contributed to drought conditions across the southern United States and record breaking flooding into the central and upper plains.
Heavy rains across Australia also meant widespread flooding. Major losses due to flooding were seen in the agricultural and mining sectors. This also ended the decade long drought that Australians were experiencing.
Across the Horn of Africa, the strong La Nina event caused persistent drought conditions. Even with some rain across the region over the past few months, with another La Nina event setting up, that means the region may not be able to catch up on their agricultural cycles until next August.