26 JUNE 1998. MEXICO: DROUGHT
The Associated Press reports that Mexico's five-year old drought is the
worst in 70 years, with ENSO being blamed for a shift in dry conditions
to central and southern Mexico. Children and cattle alike are dying of
dehydration, crops are withering on in the fields, and fires have destroyed
extensive runs of forest. The Chiapas coffee crop will be half its normal
level. Rainfall is 54% below normal and reservoirs are at 15 - 20 % capacity.
Recovery will take four to six years. La Niña conditions may aggravate
drought conditions in the north.
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1997 El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO 97-98)