article_snippet: The US National Oceanic and Atmosopheric Administration has detected warmer than average water temperatures around the equator of the Pacific Ocean (shown above) which indicates the arrival of El Niño .
article_snippet: the world is finally in the grip of a long-awaited El Niño event that could alter global weather patterns - but the phenomenon is far weaker than expected.  
article_snippet: El Niño is caused by a shift in the distribution of warm water in the Pacific Ocean around the equator.
article_snippet: Scientists have announced that sea surface water temperatures have been warmer than average in the western and central the Pacific Ocean and have started to alter wind patterns.
article_snippet: The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicts that there is now a 50 to 60 per cent chance  El Niño will continue through the summer.
article_snippet: However, Scientists say that the  El Niño conditions are currently 'extremely weak' and come at a time of the year when the influence of  El Niño on weather patterns usually declines.
article_snippet: The NOAA said that The NOAA was unlikely the phenomenon would bring enough rain this spring to break the three-year record-breaking drought that is currently affecting California.
article_snippet: Some meteorologists, however, have warned  El Niño  El Niño could combine with The PDO.
article_snippet: The PDO reached record levels in December last year and January this year, and should The PDO stay strong, The PDO may combine with  El Niño to increase global temperatures.
highlights_snippet: The warning was issued by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory .
  