U.S. weather forecaster sees likelihood of La Nina August-October

Following a damaging El Nino weather period, a U.S. government weather 

forecaster on Thursday said the La Nina weather phenomenon is favored to 

develop during August through October 2016.

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather

 Service, said in its monthly forecast there is a 55 percent to 60 percent 

chance that the La Nina weather phenomenon will develop during the fall 

and winter of 2016/17.

Last month, the CPC forecast that La Nina was favored to develop during 

the Northern Hemisphere's summer with a 75 percent chance of it developing 

in the fall and winter.

La Nina, which is typically less damaging than El Nino, is characterized by

 unusually cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

 It tends to occur unpredictably every two to seven years. Severe 

occurrences have been linked to floods and droughts.

Near-to below-average surface temperatures across the eastern equatorial

 Pacific Ocean were observed during the past month, the CPC said.

Last month, the agency said that El Nino conditions, a warming of

 sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific that has been linked to crop 

damage, fires and flash floods over the past year, had largely disappeared.