Southern India could continue to experience rainfall which is higher than normal due to El Nino, a phenomenon that sparks global weather extremes, according to a United Nations report. This could cause further flooding in the region, particularly in urban areas, it said.

The ongoing El Nino pattern in the Asia-Pacific region is likely to be one of the strongest since 1998 and will continue into early 2016, according to the UN advisory note. It recommended regional cooperation for early warnings, in-season mitigation and long-term adaptation strategies to curb the climate risk.

Chennai has faced the brunt of incessant rainfall in southern India in the last month, with over 300 deaths recorded due to severe flooding. The advisory said that while there is no detailed scientific investigation into whether there is a direct link between the 2015-2016 El Nino and the Chennai floods yet, but the abnormal rainfall during the northeast monsoon indicates that the phenomenon had a part to play in it.