El Nino brings bad news for India. Here’s how

Brace yourself for an extended summer season and scanty rainfall along with rise in prices of food items this year as the Australian Meteorological Department predicted on Tuesday that the tropical Pacific was in early stages of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

The bureau’s current observations state that India's south-west monsoon will be deficient and it has already been predicted by the India Meteorological Department in April, as per an Economic Times report.

El Nino refers to the warming of Pacific waters and is seen as having a wide-ranging impact on global weather.

This comes as bad news for India as the monsoon season, which runs from June to September in the country, is the main source of water for the agriculture sector. This will affect the agriculture-based industries and the food industry.

In the wake of poor rainfall last year and unseasonal rains and snowfall in recent months, India's revival plans and economic growth will also be hampered.

According to the Australian weather office, the El Nino Southern Oscillation ( ENSO) indicators have shown a steady trend toward El Nino levels since the start of the year. The temperatures of sea surface in the tropical Pacific Ocean have also exceeded El Nino thresholds recently.

Moreover, such changes are also supported by warmer-than-average waters below the surface which will worsen the weather condition.

Trade winds have remained consistently weaker than average since the start of the year. "These indicators suggest the tropical Pacific Ocean and atmosphere have started to couple and reinforce each other, indicating El Nino is likely to persist in the coming months," the Australian weather office said.

International climate models surveyed by the bureau indicate that tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures are likely to remain above El Nino thresholds through the coming winter and at least into spring.

(Image:Reuters)