Editor's note: Meteorologists around the world have warned about the impact of the emerging El Ni?o, a prolonged warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The weather pattern can lead to unusual weather conditions throughout the world, and have a significant effort on countries which are dependent on agricultural production and further result in global economic impact. A warning about the anomaly was issued last year, but it proved to be a false alarm. This year though, countries like the United States, Japan and Australia have already announced the onset of the phenomenon.
The following are the possible early signs of the impacts that we hope will never materialize.
Extreme heat in Asia and East Africa
An Indian woman drinks water in Puri, 65km away from the eastern Indian state Orissa's capital city Bhubaneswar, on May 28, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] |
Asia and East Africa will witness extreme heat. India has already fallen prey to an anomaly -- the heat wave has resulted in a death toll of more than 1,100 as of May 27; half of the country's farmland lacks irrigation while the farming sector accounts for 14 percent of the national economy.