"Scientists have found a way to forecast El Nino weather events in the Pacific a year in advance, long enough to let farmers plant crops less vulnerable to global shifts in rainfall, a study showed on Monday."

"While far from flawless, the technique doubles current six-month predictions of El Nino, a warming of the eastern Pacific linked in the past to floods in Peru and Ecuador, droughts in Australia and Indonesia and maybe severe winters in Europe.

"Better forecasting will mean farmers can adapt," Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a co-author of the report with experts in Russia, Israel, Germany and the United States, told Reuters."

Alister Doyle reports for Reuters July 2, 2013. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Breakthrough in El Nino Forecasting" (SPX) [3]

"El Niño Weather Could Be Forecast a Year Ahead" (USA TODAY) [4]

NOAA's El Niño Page [5]