  We show that rogue waves can be triggered naturally when a stable wave train
enters a region of an opposing current flow. We demonstrate that the maximum
amplitude of the rogue wave depends on the ratio between the current velocity,
$ U_0 $, and the wave group velocity, $ c_g $. We also reveal that an opposing
current can force the development of rogue waves in random wave fields,
resulting in a substantial change of the statistical properties of the surface
elevation. The present results can be directly adopted in any field of physics
in which the focusing Nonlinear Schrodinger equation with non constant
coefficient is applicable. In particular, nonlinear optics laboratory
experiments are natural candidates for verifying experimentally our results.

Fluid Dynamics;Pattern Formation and Solitons;Optics