New Delhi, June 11 -- El Nino- the Pacific warming pattern that weakens India's monsoon and drives harsh summers - is now underway, according to Japan's meteorological agency on Wednesday, a declaration that puts India's weather establishment on notice as the rain-bearing season struggles to establish itself. The Japan Meteorological Agency said conditions characteristic of El Nino have been observed in both the ocean and atmosphere of the equatorial Pacific, and that an event is currently underway. India's own weather office has not yet made the same declaration, but the threshold is close. "We will issue a statement soon based on the models we consult, on the onset of El Nino conditions," said M Mohapatra, director general of IMD. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, issuing its assessment on June 9, stopped short of a full declaration but confirmed the Pacific is closing in on the threshold. htc...