What is El Nino?
El Nino is a climate pattern associated with unusually warm ocean waters in parts of the Pacific Ocean.
An El Nino event can have a significant impact on weather patterns, ocean conditions and fisheries across a large part of the earth.
During El Nino, cyclone conditions in the tropical South Pacific shift eastwards, causing more cyclones than normal in areas like the Cook Islands and French Polynesia.
El Nino can also cause heavy rainfall and flooding over Peru, and droughts over Indonesia and Australia.
In New Zealand, an El Nino event this year could cause drier “spring-like” conditions.
El Nino means “The Little Boy” or “Christ Child” in Spanish. It was first observed in the 1600s by fishermen off the South American coast.