On Apr. 25, the Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory announced that the weather phenomenon known as El Nino could occur for the first time in five years, resulting in torrential rains in Kyushu in July. El Nino is a band of unusually warm ocean water that forms off the coast of Peru near the Equator and causes fluctuations in weather patterns. According to the Meteorological Observatory, if there is an El Nino this year, not as many cumulonimbus clouds would form in Southern Asia, and high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean and Tibet, which yield hot weather, would not push as close to Japan as usual. This would cause the Westerlies to take a more southerly course than usual, and in turn, the rainy season front would take longer to move from south to north. Both the Fukuoka and Kagoshima District Meteorological Observatories are predicting normal rainfall for May, slightly lower rainfall for June and more than normal rainfall for July. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 5/1
