El Nino Weather Event 'Likely'

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology say that more evidence of a developing El Niño event has emerged during the past fortnight, and computer forecasts show there's very little chance of the development stalling or reversing.

El Niño events are usually (but not always) associated with below normal rainfall in the second half of the year across large parts of southern and inland eastern Australia, they say.

El Niño occurs when sea surface temperatures warm up in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, Really severe damage occurred in recent El Niño cases in 2002 and 2006 when less than half a normal wheat crop was harvested.