Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology and the U.S. Climate Prediction Center warn of returning El Nino weather patterns in 2014. El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures that reappear approximately every 12 years. The weather pattern can cause drought in Australia, Southeast Asia, India, and Africa while causing excessive rain in regions of the U.S and Brazil. If the predicted El Nino is strong, it could cause major disruptions to global food production – lowering wheat output in Australia and affecting India’s monsoon rains decreasing sugar, rice and wheat production. The El Nino of 2009 caused the worst drought in India in 40 years and pushed sugar prices to their highest point in 30 years. Coffee and corn production could also be affected in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Not all effects of El Nino are negative for all regions, however. If an El Nino materializes in 2014 it could bring much needed rain to drought-stricken California.
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