La Nina brings cheers, Australia wheat crop to flourish

Lewa Pardomuan in Reuters: Australia's wheat crop is expected to flourish and coffee cherries in Vietnam may receive much-needed rains after a brief yet severe dry spell as the La Nina weather phenomenon develops. La Nina, which normally follows an El Nino event, is linked with increased probability of wetter conditions in the western Pacific, particularly in eastern Australia and Asia, and drier conditions in South America.

As a result, Indonesia may see some rainfall during the dry season and rice farmers in Thailand could expect ample water supply as the dry season ends, industry sources said on Thursday. In India, the monsoon is progressing and government officials are still assessing the impact of La Nina on crops.

"Some areas in Indonesia have entered the dry season, but this year, we experience a wet dry season," said Hendro Santoso, the head of climate forecast at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysic Agency in Jakarta.

"This is because sea surface in Indonesia is still warm which triggers higher evaporation. Also, El Nino is weakening and progressing toward La Nina," he added…

NOAA diagram of La Nina conditions