Forecasters warn El Nino could ruin England's chances in World Cup
Wild El Nino conditions have been predicted in Brazil this summer and the weather phenomenon could ruin England's chances in the World Cup, climate scientists say.
University of Reading scientists say there is not a 60 per cent chance of El Nino conditions in Brazil this summer, Sky News reports.
The phenomenon would "increase the risk of uncomfortably hot and dry conditions" during the event, which would be a struggle for the England team used to cooler and wetter weather.
Scientist Dr Nick Klingaman told the BBC: "If it does occur, it would increase the risk of uncomfortably hot and dry conditions in Brazil during June and July.
"Especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country, where England are playing their second and third group games."
El Nino is part of a cycle that occurs every two to five years and sees unusually warm ocean temperatures near the equator in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, but it has implications for the whole world.
Axel Timmermann of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu told New Scientist that forecasters do not want to create a panic as forecasting a big El Nino would increase food prices.
"But it may be better to have this reaction at an early stage, when farmers can still adapt, rather than later," he said.
According to the Daily Mail, the worst El Nino on record was in 1997 and 1998 which was blamed for the flooding along China's Yangtze River that killed more than 1,500 people.
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