Forecaster sees rising chance of La Nina in second half of 2016

(Reuters) — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday forecast an increasing chance of the La Nina weather phenomenon taking place in the second half of the year as El Nino was seen weakening further.

The Climate Prediction Center, an agency of the National Weather Service, in its monthly forecast said the El Nino weather phenomenon is likely to neutralize late in the Northern Hemisphere spring or early summer 2016.

Last month, CPC said it saw a 50% chance La Nina could develop by the Northern Hemisphere fall on the heels of the El Nino conditions likely to dissipate in the coming months.

“The official forecast is consistent with the model forecasts, also supported by a historical tendency for La Nina to follow strong El Nino events,” CPC said in the report.

Typically less damaging than El Nino, La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and tends to occur unpredictably every two to seven years. Severe occurrences have been linked to floods and droughts.

The ongoing El Nino, a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, has been linked to serious crop damage, forest fires and flash floods.