The chance of El Nino developing has been stalled says Tonga’s Department of Meteorology (MET), although drier weather is predicted for all of Tonga for the remainder of the year.

Over several weeks, there has been little or no indication of increases in the development of El Nino and the outlook remains at El Nino "Watch".

Tonga entered its dry season on May 1, which means soil dryness and water availability for agriculture usually decreases during this period.

According to MET's table below, over the next three months, drier than usual weather is predicted for the Niuas and Ha’apai with Vava’u and Tongatapu experiencing normal dry weather.

The dry season is expected to extend through to the end of the year with drier than usual weather predicted for all of Tonga except Niuafo’ou which is to experience normal weather.

Given the predicted conditions, Tonga MET is encouraging the public to use water wisely and collect as much water as possible when it rains. 

The last three months saw higher than average rainfall for Niuatoputapu and Ha'apai and average rainfall for the rest of Tonga.