BEIJING: La Nina conditions in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean have contributed significantly to reduced rainfall across southern China this winter, meteorologists said.
The phenomenon, characterized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures, is expected to persist through early-to-mid spring before weakening to a neutral state, according to the latest monitoring data from the National Climate Center of the China Meteorological Administration.
Since the onset of winter, southern China has experienced a sharp decline in precipitation, with most regions in provinces such as Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan and Hainan recording rainfall levels more than 80 percent below average. Nationwide, average precipitation has dropped by over 50 percent compared to normal levels, according to the administration.
“La Nina is a major factor behind the current dry conditions in southern China,” said Gu Wei, a researcher at the center. “It alters atmospheric circulation patterns over the northwestern Pacific, reducing the flow of warm, moist air into southern China and leading to prolonged periods of low rainfall.”
La Nina and its counterpart, El Nino, occur in cycles lasting between two and seven years, shifting oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Pacific. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
