An active El Nino season is being blamed for wild weather in the Americas. With at least 150,000 displaced by flooding in South America. Tornadoes, snow and intense rain are also hammering parts of the United States.

CCTV’s Jim Spellman reports from Washington.

Tornadoes, snow and more flooding in the United States, all driven by a phenomenon known as El Nino: a weather system that happens every few years when waters in the Pacific Ocean become warmer than usual.

It is now heading east where it’s expected to bring sleet, freezing rain and snow to the northeastern United States. Meteorologists say this is the most intense El Nino in 15 years, and the dangerous weather may extend into the spring.

More details:

• In Paraguay, 130,000 people have been driven from their homes by heavy flood waters. Thousands more displaced in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, where some rivers crested 14 meters above normal levels.
• In the U.S., a massive storm system brought the state of Texas tornadoes, then snow.
• In Missouri, the rain is over but the flooding is just beginning as water heading downstream overwhelms the banks of the Mississippi River.
• The storm system has killed at least 43 people in the United States over the past week.