Australia's weather bureau casts doubt on prospects for La Nina

FILE PHOTO: A water rescue boat moves in floodwaters at an apartment complex in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. La Nina typically brings greater rainfall to eastern Australia, South-East Asia and India with drier weather in the Americas, while El Nino does the reverse. Both can also lead to hurricanes and flooding. - AP

CANBERRA: Australia's weather bureau is not convinced that a La Nina weather pattern is forming that could change rainfall patterns and bring wilder weather to parts of the Americas, Asia and Oceania, affecting crop production, a senior climatologist said.

La Nina, and its analogue, El Nino, are caused by the cooling or warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific.