Thursday, June 06, 2013

Wait, what? Reuters does a story blaming natural cycles for extreme weather like floods and droughts

La Nina more likely than El Nino in Northern summer: forecaster
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The government weather forecaster on Thursday predicted that extreme conditions are unlikely through the Northern Hemisphere summer, with the La Nina pattern more likely to develop than its more infamous counterpart, El Nino.
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In 2011, La Nina, an abnormal cooling of waters in the equatorial Pacific which wreaks havoc on weather conditions in Asia and the Americas, was blamed for crippling droughts in Texas and severe dry spells in South America that killed crops.

The phenomenon known as El Nino heats up tropical oceans in East Asia, sending warm air into the United States and South America, often causing flooding and heavy rains.

It can also trigger drought conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia, regions that produce some of the world's major food staples, such as sugar cane and grains.

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