LA NINA EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL APRIL

Jakarta, Feb. Feb. 7 (ANTARA) - La Nina is expected to continue into the Northern Hemisphere Spring 2009, based on current observations, recent trends, and model forecasts, according to a US climatological agency.

The impact of La Nina during February-April 2009 was expected to include above-average precipitation over Indonesia, and below-average precipitation over the central equatorial Pacific, the US Climate Prediction Center (CPC) in Camp Springs said in a press statement Saturday.
The current rainy season had triggered floods and landslides in various parts of Indonesia, including in East Java, Central Java, West Java, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and Aceh provinces.
La Nina continued during January 2009, as evidenced by below-average equatorial sea surface temperatures (SST) across the central and east-central Pacific Ocean.
The Nino-4 and Nino-3.4 SST indices remained cooler than −0.5'C throughout January, although positive index values developed in the easternmost Nino-1+2 region late in the month.
Negative subsurface oceanic heat content anomalies (average temperatures in the upper 300m of the ocean) also persisted east of the International Date Line, but weakened as positive subsurface temperature anomalies from the western Pacific expanded eastward into the central Pacific.
Convection remained suppressed near the Date Line, and enhanced across Indonesia, according to the CPC press statement.
Low-level easterly winds and upper-level westerly winds also continued across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Collectively, these oceanic and atmospheric anomalies reflect La Nina.
A majority of the model forecasts for the Nino indicate a gradual weakening of La Nina through February-April 2009, with an eventual transition to ENSO-neutral conditions, it said in the statement based on an El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) discussion consolidated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).