GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — There is an 80-per cent chance of the warming El Nino phenomenon developing between June and August, increasing the risk of extreme weather events, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday.

“Fuelled by unusually warm ocean waters in the tropical Pacific, El Nino conditions are developing and are set to influence global temperature and rainfall patterns,” the United Nations’ WMO weather and climate agency said.

Forecasts from the WMO global network “indicate a pronounced shift toward El Nino conditions, with probabilities reaching 80 percent for June-August”, the Geneva-based organisation said.