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25 March 2011
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BLAME IT ON ‘THE GIRL’ cold spells, hot flushes and unexpected waterworks - that’s La Niña!
HUA HIN THAILAND If you had been wondering what on earth was going on with the weather we have been having recently, don’t blame it on the Japanese earthquake, climate change, carbon emissions or even the wrath of some deity; it is the phenomenon known as ‘La Niña’ according to meteorologists. ‘La Niña’ is Spanish for ‘The Girl’ and is the little sister of ‘El Niño’; the latter is better known, and is a weather pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, while the sister is a weather pattern characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. The temperature of water on the sea surface affects the global atmospheric temperature. It alters precipitation patterns in subtropical and tropical regions because of global weather patterns such as trade winds. Stronger trade winds bring increased warm, moist air into the affected regions, leading to more rain. It also affects temperatures, and while we have been having some very hot, humid days here in Hua Hin, there have also been some unexpected cold snaps. This affect has been ongoing since the heavy rains last year, and is expected to last until April. For the Hua Hin area and Thailand it has actually relieved the anticipated drought to some extent, but it will play havoc with some of the agricultural activities here and in the rest of Thailand. The orchid industry is expected to suffer, while on the flip side of the coin the Thai sugar industry is expected to achieve record output levels; however rubber production has been hit hard and prices have been hitting all time highs. Of more local interest is the effect on the pineapple crop, and it seems as if ‘La Niña’ will be of great help there; Prachuap Khiri Khan is the main pineapple growing area in Thailand, and there were fears that a drought would seriously reduce the crops. For more local and global weather information go to page 4.
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