Local residents stand in a flooded area in Mabi town in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, July 10, 2018. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s weather bureau said on Tuesday there is a 50 percent chance that El Niño could break out in the autumn.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) also said there is a 70 percent chance of normal weather patterns without La Niña or El Niño in the Northern Hemisphere summer months.