Heatwaves and bushfires are predicted in southern Australia thanks to a 70% chance of El Niño weather conditions, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
“This outlook on the back of such little rainfall and dry conditions makes it such a worry for people.” Australia had endured its driest September since rainfall records began in 1900, Duell said.
Close to 60% of Queensland is in drought, and parts of the state have been dry for the past seven years.
Farmers in drought-declared areas are eligible for relief payments and support services.
El Niño is the part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (Enso) characterised by weak trade winds over the Pacific, which reduce moisture and rainfall in eastern Australia.
Sustained positive values above +7 typically indicate La Niña.
“Any given year there is a risk because El Niño is a normal part of our climate system.
We get an El Niño on average every two to five years,” Duell told the ABC.
“That puts the risk at any given year at about a 25% chance.
‘Don’t call it a disaster’: how to change the conversation about drought Read more “This is absolutely not the type of outlook I think that many people would be hoping to hear.” The bureau outlook also noted that the the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), another key climate indicator, was trending positive, further contributing to the dry conditions.