El Nino Returns: Brace for Extreme Weather.

El Nino has returned and is expected to cause extreme weather later this year, from tropical cyclones towards Pacific islands to heavy rainfall in South America and drought in Australia and parts of Asia. The last time El Nino was in place, in 2016, the world saw its hottest year on record. The hotter El Nino is born out of unusually warm waters in the Eastern Pacific, near the coast of South America, and often accompanied by a slowing down or reversal of the easterly trade winds. The El Nino could lead to winter crop production falling 34% from record highs in Australia, and also impacting palm oil and rice production in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.