The northern region is seeing a hotter and drier autumn this year due to the effects of the El Nino phenomenon and the global climate change, weather experts say.

According to National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) Deputy Director Le Thanh Hai, this year’s average temperature in the region is 0.5-1.5 Celcius degrees higher than previous years. There is also less rain with a drop of between 30-40 percent or 200-300 mm in rainfalls for August compared to normal.

El Nino started affecting Vietnam in July, causing higher temperature and lower rainfalls, he said, adding that the global climate change has altered weather patterns.

Hai also said that there are already signs of water shortages for agricultural production and asked northern farmers to use water in production economically.

The NCHMF official noted that El Nino only affects northern provinces and the weather in the southern and central regions is still normal.

The El Nino phenomenon is described as a type of abnormal warming that occurs on the surface ocean waters in the part of the eastern tropical pacific with its cycle of between 3-6 months./.