After two long and wet summers, BOM has declared that La Niña will be back for a third consecutive year. Most of Australia will likely face unusually heavy rains in the coming months especially the northern and eastern parts of the country. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed a third La Niña is already underway in the Pacific Ocean.
“Models indicate this La Niña event may peak during the spring and return to neutral conditions early in 2023. La Niña events increase the chances of above-average rainfall for northern and eastern Australia during spring and summer,” the bureau said.
In layman’s terms, La Niña is a weather pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean. It results in severe weather conditions due to changes in ocean temperatures which leads to rainfall. This is something most of NSW and QLD is all too familiar with after two wet summers.
What can we expect
Naturally, the risk of flooding is likely to increase. However, the model predicts an easing of rainfall early next year with a peak during spring season and a drop during summer. Which means we can expect some sunny days on the horizon. Consequently, it also means that the risk of bushfires will be reduced.
“The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is currently in a positive phase and is likely to be mostly positive for the coming three months. During the spring months, a positive SAM has a wetting influence for parts of eastern New South Wales and far eastern Victoria, but a drying influence for western Tasmania,” the bureau added.
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