Met Office confirms El Nino could cause harsh winter in Europe

There is increasing concern that a weather event in the Pacific will bring bitter winter conditions to the UK and northern Europe. Australian meteorologists warned last week that Britain is set to be battered by fierce snowstorms and freezing temperatures that could affect food stocks as the first El Nino cycle for five years kicks in. Scroll down for video Battered: A man walks through the snow near Glenshee Ski Centre in Scotland in November 2010 - the last time the El Nino phenomenon occurred, bringing freezing temperatures to Britain El Nino events occur on average every three to four years and are marked by a build up of warm water in the eastern Pacific off the coast of Ecuador. Global effect: A satellite image shows the El Nino weather phenomena, represented by the white area of warmer temperatures at the equator Last year some forecasters predicted an El Nino but the expected event never occurred, but this year experts around the world are far more certain that an El Nino event has already started and is likely to grow. The US National Oceanic and Atmosopheric Administration recently detected warmer than average water surface temperatures around the equator of the Pacific Ocean which indicates the arrival of El Niño Frozen: Snow and ice cover homes at Gilbridge in County Durham during the winter of 2010.