SYDNEY: Much of Australia faces below average rainfall for the remainder of 2014 despite the recent weakening of a climate indicator associated with an El Ninoweather event, the country's weather bureau said on Tuesday.
The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI)- a measure of Pacific air pressure fluctuations - has returned to neutral values over the past fortnight, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said, but the tropical Pacific remains warmer than average.