TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's weather bureau projected on Wednesday that there are growing signs of a La Niña pattern emerging as sea water temperatures being monitored near the equator in the Pacific Ocean are now cooler than their benchmark levels.
There is a 50 percent chance that a La Niña would emerge in the autumn or winter in Northern Hemisphere, while there is the same possibility of a normal weather pattern, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement.
The Agency said last month there was a 40 percent chance of a La Nina emerging.
(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
