India to see warmer summer as El Nino conditions continue
India is likely to experience a warmer start to the summer season this year with El Nino conditions predicted to continue through the season.
El Nino refers to a band of warm water spreading from west to east in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Similarly, a La Nina occurs when the band of water spreads east-west and is cooler. Both phenomena can have drastic effects on economies that depend on rainfall.
An El Nino year creates a miniature global-warming crisis, since the warm water spreading across the tropical Pacific releases a large amount of heat into the atmosphere.
La Nina conditions — generally associated with good monsoon rainfall in India — are likely to set in by the second half of the monsoon season.