Japan sees 50 percent chance of El Nino re-emerging by summer

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's weather bureau said on Tuesday it sees about a 50 percent chance that an El Nino weather pattern, linked to heavy rainfall in some regions and drought in others, may re-emerge by summer after it subsided over spring.

The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast said an El Nino, which emerged last summer for the first time in five years, has been easing.

The El Nino weather pattern - a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific - can trigger drought in Southeast Asia and Australia, and floods in South America, hitting production of key foods such as rice, wheat and sugar.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Richard Pullin)