Tag: El Niño

Friday, March 17th 2017 - 06:39 UTC
Torrential rains and mudslides ravage Peru: thousands left homeless

Muddy water spilled onto streets and into homes on Thursday in a new round of unusually heavy rains that has killed at least a eighteen people in Peru and now threatens flooding in the capital Lima. The intense rains and mudslides over the past three days have wrought havoc around the Andean nation and caught residents in Lima, a desert city of 10 million where it almost never rains, by surprise.
Friday, February 5th 2016 - 08:31 UTC
World cereal stocks are set to end 2016 seasons at 642 million tons, higher than they began.

Weather patterns associated with El Niño are sending mixed signals about the early prospects for cereal crops in 2016, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, according to FAO's Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, released on Thursday.
Monday, February 1st 2016 - 06:12 UTC
WHO Emergency committee meets in Geneva to address the Zika virus situation

The World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan has briefed on the Zika virus situation. In the briefing Ms Chan gave a brief history of the disease and explained why WHO is so deeply concerned.
Thursday, January 21st 2016 - 07:59 UTC
Last year was the hottest in modern times since 1880, shattering 2014 record

2015 was by far the hottest year in modern times and raising new concerns about the accelerating pace of climate change. Not only was 2015 the warmest worldwide since 1880, it shattered the previous record held in 2014 by the widest margin ever observed, said the report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Tuesday, December 8th 2015 - 00:27 UTC
Major food commodity prices down 18% over a year ago, says FAO index

Major food commodity prices fell in November, reversing about half their rise in the previous month, as the cost of internationally-traded staples, except for sugar, fell across the board. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 156.7 points in November, down 1.6 percent from its revised October average, and 18% below its value a year earlier.
Tuesday, November 10th 2015 - 08:40 UTC
Global temperatures are 1.02C above 1850/1900 average, and climbing, warns UK Met Office

Global temperatures are set to rise more than one degree above pre-industrial levels according to the UK's Met Office. Figures from January to September this year are already 1.02C above the average between 1850 and 1900.
Tuesday, November 10th 2015 - 06:33 UTC
FAO food commodity prices rose in October 3.9%, but 16% down from a year earlier

The FAO Food Price Index averaged nearly 162 points in October, up 3.9% from September, while still down 16% from a year earlier. FAO's latest Cereal supply and Demand Brief slightly trimmed its October 2015 forecast for global cereal production and now projects production at 2.53 billion tons, 1.1% below last year's record output
Saturday, October 31st 2015 - 06:26 UTC
El Niño turns the world's most arid desert into a blossomed carpet

One of the driest places on Earth has blossomed after some unusual rain earlier this year. The Atacama Desert, primarily located in Chile along the Pacific Ocean, is flush with flowers after relatively heavy precipitation in March and August fell in the drought-stricken region.
Monday, September 28th 2015 - 10:45 UTC
Record soy and corn crops forecasted in South America because of stronger dollar and El Niño

A combination of weather, currency and political factors should result in another huge South American crop of corn and soybeans, further depressing grain and oilseed prices, says an analyst, according to a report from Canada's The Western Producer. 
Friday, September 4th 2015 - 10:30 UTC
Colombia says its electrical system is ready for the El Niño phenomena

As neighbors Chile and Peru along the Pacific coast of South America, Colombia announced its electrical system is prepared for the El Niño weather phenomena, which may lead to drought and low reserves at hydro-electric facilities, mines and energy minister Tomas Gonzalez said on Wednesday.