Peru Monday announced it is withdrawing as host of the 2016 Dakar Rally "due to concerns about the El Nino weather phenomenon," state news agency Andina reported.

Did you know that a butterfly simply flapping its wings can change the course of weather patterns?

This year's El Nino weather pattern could be the most powerful on record, US forecasters said, while warning that the effects of the weather system are never certain.

In another sign that El Niño is gaining strength and could soak California this winter, sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean have increased to their highest level so far this year.

An El Nino is now well established and continues to strengthen, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said, with models indicating that sea-surface temperature anomalies in the central Pacific

Skymet Weather Services, a private agency, may revise its monsoon forecast again this month after its July prediction turned out to be off the mark and rainfall in June was higher than estimated.

Warmer-than-usual water in parts of the Pacific Ocean indicates that a developing El Niño is intensifying and might become one of the strongest on record.

Australia's agricultural sector can expect above-average rains in the western part of the country over the next three months, while some southeastern regions could be unseasonably dry, according to