Why is Australia flooding?
STORY: Large swathes of southeast Australia are underwater, forcing thousands to evacuate – and flood-hit regions are expecting more rain in the forecast.
So why is Australia flooding?
The floods are being caused by torrential rain. A month’s worth of rain was dropped on three southeastern states, prompting emergency flood warnings.
The flooding has hit Victoria especially hard. Several rivers in the state are at major flood levels.
The Goulburn River peaked last week at 25ft, above the May 1974 record.
Clean-up is underway in Melbourne after the banks of the Maribyrnong River burst on Friday.
More than 60 warnings are in place in New South Wales. In early October, Sydney marked its wettest year since records began in 1858.
Flooding has also affected the northern regions of Tasmania.
So where is all this rain coming from? The La Nina weather phenomenon, which typically brings above-average rainfall, is back for a third straight year in the Pacific Ocean.
Another factor? The Indian Ocean Dipole. That is a climate phenomenon that affects rainfall patterns near the Indian Ocean, including Australia. It turned negative in May, increasing the chances of above-average rainfall for most of Australia in the September-November spring.
On top of all that, storm cells brought recent heavy rains.
A senior climate researcher summed it up as: “bad weather, storm and rain systems.”
Experts are predicting conditions will ease in the coming months as the effect of La Nina and the Indian Ocean Dipole dissipate – but not for long.
With another La Nina expected, the country’s weather forecaster says eastern Australia should experience above-average rainfall in spring and early summer.
