El Nino strong, but not a record-breaker

The China Meteorological Administration is upgrading this year's El Nino to a strong status, but it isn't predicting any record-breaking weather disruptions.

Winter may include higher-than-usual temperatures across the country, and more precipitation in the south, said Zhou Bing, a senior engineer at the administration.

“The event will last until spring next year, but it is not likely to be as strong as that which occurred from 1997 to 1998, the strongest in history,” Zhou said.

El Nino, marked by a warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, is able to disrupt weather across the world. From 1997 to 1998, the effect caused the most serious flooding in years. Storms affected 100 million people and killed 1,800.

Over the past 10 months, flood-affected areas have decreased by 45 percent when compared to the average since 2000, according to a report released by State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters Office.

Even though El Nino brings heavy rainfalls, the rain belts aren't likely to hit populated areas and are less likely to bring huge losses, Zhou said.