La Nina threatens Latin America with hurricanes and droughts, experts say
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/la-nina-threatens-latin-america-with-hurricanes-droughts-experts-say-2024-07-02/
La Nina threatens Latin America with hurricanes and droughts, experts say
By Juana Casas
July 2, 2024 7:00 PM EDT Updated 7 hours ago
SANTIAGO, July 2 (Reuters) - Latin America and the Caribbean should brace for the arrival of La Nina, the climate pattern seen fueling a highly active hurricane season in the Atlantic and greater climate variability across the region, experts said on Tuesday.
The World Meteorological Organization organized a webinar on La Nina's threat as Hurricane Beryl, the 2024 Atlantic season's first hurricane and the earliest storm on record to reach the Saffir-Simpson Scale's maximum Category 5 level, was tearing across the eastern Caribbean.
La Nina, a climate pattern that begins with colder-than-normal ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, is linked to both floods and drought, as well as an increase in the frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean.
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The experts on Tuesday said that La Nina could cause a repeat of historic droughts in South America similar to those recorded between 2020 and 2023.
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