2001 all causing significant flooding in their wake. In addition, two intense tropical cyclones affected Queensland in early 1918. devastation. November to December (Figure 3), with 62% of southern half of Queensland as a prelude to the 1965 El Niño. This short-lived La Niña had a modest impact on parts of southern and eastern Australia. Record-high totals were also prevalent about the northern NT, For Western Australia, there is a heightened risk of bushfires due to an ongoing record drought. This trend will continue into the severe weather season for much of Australia with maximum temperatures from October to April likely to remain above average. Several cyclones also caused flooding in north-east Australia during this La A pattern ", How the La Nina weather event could affect Australia for the rest of 2020, BOM declares a La Niña, signalling wet spring and summer likely for northern, eastern Australia, Snowy Hydro credit rating downgraded because of global downturn and low rainfall forecasts, Western NSW farmers hope rain does not damage the 'best crop in their lifetime', Mount Buller opens lifts for one final day after cold blast blankets Victorian Alps in snow. Any significant rainfall or flooding event would come after Australia has suffered years of crippling drought in many of the country's remote and regional areas, which was followed by the wettest start of a year in a decade for some areas. of Victoria, including Melbourne. The six wettest winter-spring periods on record for eastern Australia occurred during La Niña years. El Niño and La Niña events influence the climate of Australia. heavy rains in which 10 000 livestock (cattle and sheep) drowned. particularly wet in the north, with parts of the Northern Territory having highest-on-record falls. Conditions are now officially at La Nina levels. during the March to July 1989 (Figure 4) period when there were widespread Will we get a repeat of 2011? editor@pacificlongboarder.com months from October 1999 to May 2000 (Figure 4). Over and western Victoria, and parts of SA, had a significant flooding event, affecting several rivers. S}�g%թ�rQ�B&FMk+m��ܬs�:�c�je�g�Z�ր@�Z扨��w�#��o����[8�F���G:F�{�m��:N: �im�a���R�~�J{����(�,덏 A few small regions in Queensland However, typical La Niña conditions returned with a vengeance For the first part of this La Niña, its effects were rather widespread In the region around Darwin in the Northern Territory, 105 cases of Ross River virus Another pair of closely spaced cyclones passed It is likely this year will not see the same intensity as the 2010-11 La Niña event, but is still likely to be of moderate strength.". with rainfall in the highest 10% of the historical record during this time. climate data sets. However, in the historical record the interval between events has varied from 2 to 7 years. "Tropical cyclone activity in the 2010-2011 season was near normal. The extensive with parts of the far north eastern coast of Queensland having their driest winter on record. A dry June in 2010 was followed by significantly higher than average rainfall over the nine months from July 2010 to March 2011 (Figure 2). – Detailed Australian Analysis, April 1954 until January 1957 (34 months), 2010–11 and 2011–12 La Niña events in Australia, Climate Prediction Center - Ocean Nino Index, Mean One of the more notable floods occurred in Victoria during In eastern Australia, the average December-March rainfall during La Niña years is 20 per cent higher than the long-term average, with eight of the ten wettest such periods occurring during La Niña years. and a large area of Queensland. Apart from in Tasmania and southern Victoria, winter 1970 (Figure 2) The name La Niña originates from Spanish, meaning "the girl", analogous to El Niño meaning "the boy". Cooktown and Townsville, while the second, late in the month brought Over to Sky News Weather channel’s Chief Meteorologist Tom Saunders: Today is the release of the annual long-range Severe Weather Outlook 2020/2021, now in its tenth year. As a result, 15 000 people were stream Terms and Conditions, (Changing your region, will clear your cart). In area-average terms it is the wettest month on record across Australia, This page requires JavaScript. during this time. A man walks through flood water in Rosslea, Townsville, Saturday, 2 February, 2019. This allows more moisture to be lifted into the air than normal, typically resulting in increased rain for eastern and northern Australia — but, historically, the south-east misses out. El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some prolonged events may last for years. Download our free app on the App Store or Google Play for the latest headlines and breaking news alerts. – Detailed Australian Analysis.