Prominent meteorologists and government agencies say that the ongoing El Niño cycle will continue into next spring, bringing with it more rainfall.
Meteorologist Chia Hsin-hsing (賈新興) said in a Facebook post on Friday that a moderate to strong El Niño phenomenon will continue to develop into next spring. Chia says that warmer weather and elevated humidity will follow suit.
Central Weather Administration (CWA) Deputy Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) said in an interview on Friday that the development of an El Niño event will result in more rainfall next spring and an increase in average rain volume.
Lu says that when sea temperatures close to the equator rise 0.5 degrees Celsius above historic averages for five consecutive quarters, it qualifies as an El Niño event. He says this has already happened for four quarters, meaning an El Niño phenomenon could appear next month.