El Niño to Impact China's Climate and Agriculture
The El Niño weather pattern is expected to peak in China during autumn and winter, potentially causing increased rainfall and higher temperatures. This could disrupt agriculture and affect power grid demands in southern China. The phenomenon is linked to warmer sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
China's National Climate Centre predicts that El Niño weather patterns, characterized by a warming of the equatorial Pacific, will reach their peak in the country's autumn and winter, before subsiding in the spring of the following year.
According to Gao Rong, deputy director at the Centre, sea surface temperatures have entered an El Niño state and are anticipated to intensify, leading to potentially strong events that may disrupt local climate patterns. This is likely to bring heavier rainfall to the Pacific coast of the Americas, while altering the East Asian monsoon, increasing chances of flooding in southern China and drought elsewhere.
The meteorological phenomenon is posed to enhance precipitation south of the Yangtze River and elevate temperatures across the nation. Additionally, increased rainfall could challenge the harvesting of late-season rice, with warmer winter conditions threatening water supplies for spring planting. Such changes have already pushed China's Southern Power Grid beyond usual peak demands, highlighting ongoing energy challenges.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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