The U.S. Climate Prediction Center Thursday projected a 58 percent chance of El Nino developing during the Northern Hemisphere's winter, slightly reducing the likelihood of the weather phenomenon. The center, an agency of the National Weather Service, said in its monthly forecast that if El Nino materializes, it is favored to last into the Northern Hemisphere spring. El Nino is defined by prolonged warming in the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures when compared with the average value.
