Global heating is making El Niño and La Niña forecasts less reliable, BoM says

The Bureau of Meteorology has Australia on ‘La Niña watch’ but says that if it does develop it is likely to be short-lived and weak. Photograph: Nadir Kinani/The Guardian

The Bureau of Meteorology is shifting the way it communicates about climate phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, because global heating is making predictions based on the past less reliable.

This week the bureau kept the country on a “La Niña watch” and said if the climate system in the Pacific does develop, it’s likely to be short-lived and weak.