Malaysia forecast to face weak to moderate El Nino from June onwards
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Malaysia has been dealing with a heatwave in recent months.
PHOTO: AFP
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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia, which has been dealing with a heatwave in recent months, is forecast to experience weak El Nino conditions from June onwards, the environment minister said on Wednesday.
The intensity of the weather phenomenon will increase to moderate levels by November, and result in a 20 to 40 per cent reduction in rainfall, said Mr Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.
Some of the effects of El Nino will also be seen around March to April next year, he said in Parliament.
Malaysia is so far not expected to experience an extreme heatwave where temperatures exceed 38 deg C for several consecutive days, Mr Nik Nazmi said.
“However, there is still a possibility that the country will experience slightly higher than normal temperatures, with an increase of between 0.5 deg C to 1 deg C,” he added.
Early signs of hot, dry weather caused by El Nino are threatening food producers across Asia, with palm oil and rice production likely to suffer in Indonesia and Malaysia – which supply 80 per cent of the world’s palm oil – and Thailand, according to analysts.
Malaysia is the world’s second-largest producer of the widely consumed palm oil.
The nation’s crude palm oil production could drop between 1 million and 3 million tonnes next year due to El Nino, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board said in late May. REUTERS
