17 Jan 2011

GENEVA / WMO FLOODS

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) confirms that La Niña was responsible for the recent devastating flooding in Australia and Sri Lanka. The organization is still studying the weather patterns in Brazil to determine what influenced the heavy rains in the south-eastern parts of the country. UNTV

Posted at: January 17, 2011 4:03 pm

Duration: 02:49

Available in: SD

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STORY: GENEVA / WMO FLOODS
TRT: 2.49
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

SHOTLIST:

DATELINE: 17 JANUARY 2011, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) HQ
2. Cutaway, Omar Baddour, Chief Global Climate Monitoring typing at his desk
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Baddour, Chief, Global Climate Monitoring, World Meteorological Organization: 
"Globally we can address the intensity of this flooding for Australia, and they came after the Pakistan flooding, in the short time period in less than 6 months, so from this perspective we can say it's unusual."
4. Cutaway, Omar Baddour, Chief Global Climate Monitoring typing at his desk
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Baddour, Chief, Global Climate Monitoring, World Meteorological Organization: 
"We are confident to say the flooding which occurred in Australia has a linkage to La Niña, according to the study made by the Bureau of Metrological of Australia.  For Sri Lanka at the same extent we can address the La Niña influence on Sri Lanka flooding.  However, for Brazil we know that Brazilian rainfall is much impacted by the El Niño, La Niña in the north eastern part of the country.  For the South Eastern part it's not yet clear to see whether La Niña had an impact or not."
6. Cutaway, Omar Baddour, Chief Global Climate Monitoring typing at his desk
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Baddour, Chief, Global Climate Monitoring, World Meteorological Organization: 
"As far as we know we are now in the current period of La Niña and the current La Niña is expected to stay at least till the spring, so from now on we still expect to have some extreme events be influenced by the current La Niña, but where and when we cannot say now."
8. Cutaway, Omar Baddour, Chief Global Climate Monitoring typing at his desk
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Baddour, Chief, Global Climate Monitoring, World Meteorological Organization: 
"It's not only flooding that Niña can provoke, in some regions we can have rainfall deficiency as a cause of La Niña.  For example, in East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda and part of Somalia as well as part of northern Tanzania can undergo below average rainfall in some of this year because of La Niña, we know also that part of South America can be drier during La Niña than during the normal periods."
10. Cutaway, Omar Baddour, Chief Global Climate Monitoring typing at his desk
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Baddour, Chief, Global Climate Monitoring, World Meteorological Organization: 
"La Niña is a global kind of pattern so that in some areas, especially tropical areas, which have been identified as the strongest regions where La Niña has an impact, but this doesn't exclude other parts to be impacted by La Niña, although at some less extent of knowledge, but basically what we can say, Tropical Regions have to be worried about the current La Niña."
12. Cut away, from sign World Meteorological Organization to building

STORYLINE:

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned tropical regions of the world to be worried about the current La Niña while confirming the weather pattern was responsible for the recent devastating flooding in Australia and Sri Lanka.

Omar Baddour, in charge of global climate monitoring at the United Nations (UN) weather agency, warned of more extreme weather to come.

"La Niña is expected to stay at least till the spring, so from now on we still expect to have some extreme events be influenced by the current La Niña," he said.

The WMO also warned that parts of East Africa are to experience drought in the coming months, as a result of the La Nina weather effect.

According to WMO, during La Nina, sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean are 3 to 5 degrees centigrade lower than normal.

WMO, however, says it was still studying the weather patterns in Brazil to determine what influenced the heavy rains in the south-eastern parts of the country in which over 600 people were killed.