中国气象局称超强厄尔尼诺结束 影响仍将持续

The super strong El Nino officially came to an end in May. But the lingering effects of El Nino will continue to cause larger rainfall and the possibility of severe flooding in China's coastal regions remains, warned Zhou Bing, chief engineer of the National Climate Center.

超强厄尔尼诺事件已于5月正式结束，不过国家气候中心首席工程师周兵提醒，厄尔尼诺的残余影响仍将导致降水增多，我国沿海地区发生严重洪涝灾害的可能性依然存在。

The provinces of Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi may have 50 to 80 percent more rainfall than the same period in recent years, the national meteorological authority said.

中国气象局预计，湖北、湖南和江西省的降水量或比近年同期偏多5-8成。

After the strong El Nino, China may see the coming of La Nina, El Nino's opposite phenomenon. Together with global warming, rising sea levels may exacerbate the impact of flooding and storm surges, Zhou said.

周兵表示，强厄尔尼诺过后，中国或许将迎来与厄尔尼诺相反的拉尼娜现象。全球变暖和海平面的上升可能会加重洪水和风暴潮致灾程度。

Both the El Nino and La Nina phenomena are related to abnormal ocean currents and temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, leading to global changes of temperatures and rainfall.

厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜现象都是与中东和太平洋地区的洋流、气温异常有关的，这导致了全球气温和降水出现了变化。

"We need to make full preparation for the extreme weather conditions like flood, drought and heat, due to the lingering impact of El Nino and coming of La Nina," said Zhou.

周兵表示：“由于厄尔尼诺的残余影响和妮娜的到来，我们要对如洪水，干旱和炎热等极端天气做好准备。”

In 1998, the southern regions experienced devastating flooding after El Nino that caused heavy casualties and economic losses.

1998年，在厄尔尼诺现象之后，南方地区经历了毁灭性的洪水灾害，该灾害造成了大量人员伤亡和经济损失。