SCIENCE / MEDICINE : ‘El Nino’ Says ‘Adios’

A relatively mild “El Nino” weather phenomenon that began in 1986 has come to an end without causing the widespread damage and disruption that was blamed on a previous occurrence, climate experts reported.

Sea surface temperatures on the Pacific Ocean--a prime gauge of these unusual events--have returned to near normal along the Equator, Vernon E. Kousky of the federal Climate Analysis Center reported last week.

El Ninos, while not fully understood, appear to affect weather around the world. One that occurred in 1982-83, described as the strongest in this century, was blamed for an estimated 1,500 deaths and damage of $2 billion to $8 billion worldwide.

The 1986-87 El Nino had much less impact, although some unusual weather was reported, including heavy rains in coastal Peru and drought in India and the Pacific Northwest.