Japan sees 70 percent chance of La Nina ending in spring

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's weather bureau said on Friday that there was a 70 percent chance that the La Nina weather pattern would end during the spring of 2017. There was also a 50 percent chance that the La Nina weather event would last at least through the end of winter, Japan Meteorological Agency said in its monthly forecast. La Nina, which tends to occur unpredictably every two to seven years, is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean west of South America. (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Tom Hogue)