El Nino Will Threaten Australia With Severe Drought in ‘91, Forecasters Say
El Nino, a weather phenomenon first detected by Peruvian fishermen at the turn of the century, could leave much of rural Australia praying for rain next year, weather forecasters said Friday.
El Nino may bring drought conditions to eastern Australia, where farmers are suffering from falling commodity prices and high interest rates, they said.
The effect begins with a warming of water in the Pacific between Australia and South America followed by a change in atmospheric pressure and a movement of winds that carry rain-bearing clouds away from Australia toward the Pacific.
It was named El Nino, Spanish for boy child, by fishermen off Peru who noticed an increase in water temperature followed by torrential rain.
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