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What made eastern Australia so wet from 2020 to 2022?

November 12, 2024

From 2020 to 2022, eastern Australia had much more rain than usual. In these years, three La Niña events occurred in a row, only the third occurrence of a triple La Niña since the 1950s. Under climate change, most models project a decline in winter-spring rainfall in southeastern Australia, and the influence of ENSO on rainfall is likely to strengthen. This would suggest increased drying during El Niño years but extreme La Niña-related rainfall may increase.

Extreme climate explained: the triple La Niña and extremely wet conditions 2020-2022

August 30, 2024

Australia experienced its second-wettest spring on record in 2022. Record-breaking rainfall and saturated soils across eastern parts of the country led to widespread flooding. Did climate change influence the triple La Niña and extremely wet conditions in 2020-2022? What’s the likelihood of similar events happening in the future?

Changes in Moisture Sources Contributed to the Onset and Development of the 2017-2019 Southeast Australian Drought

May 10, 2024

In 2017-2019 southeast Australia experienced one of its most severe droughts since 1900. Rainfall over the region encompassing the Murray-Darling Basin was consistently below average…

Australian Rainfall Increases During Multi-Year La Niña

April 6, 2024

Australia is one of the regions strongly affected by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The recent 2020–2023 La Niña event was marked by record-breaking rainfall and…

Quantifying ENSOs Impact on Australia’s Regional Monthly Rainfall Risk

March 15, 2024

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is considered an important driver of rainfall variability in Australia, amongst many other global locations. Despite knowledge of the expected…

Australia’s Tinderbox Drought: An Extreme Natural Event Likely Worsened by Human-caused Climate Change

March 6, 2024

We examine the characteristics and causes of southeast Australia’s Tinderbox Drought (2017 to 2019) that preceded the Black Summer fire disaster. The Tinderbox Drought was…

Combined Impacts of Southern Annular Mode and Zonal Wave 3 on Antarctic Sea Ice Variability

March 1, 2024

Large-scale modes of atmospheric variability in the southern midlatitudes can influence Antarctic sea ice concentrations (SIC) via diverse processes. For instance, variability in both the…

Combined Impacts of Southern Annular Mode and Zonal Wave 3 on Antarctic Sea Ice Variability

February 13, 2024

Large-scale modes of atmospheric variability in the southern midlatitudes can influence Antarctic sea ice concentrations (SIC) via diverse processes. For instance, variability in both the…

The Southern Annular Mode and Large-Scale Circulations

December 6, 2023

Understanding large-scale linkages can provide insights into improving our seasonal forecasts and regional projections.   Being uniquely positioned, Australia’s climate is influenced by the Pacific, Indian…

Drying out: Looking at the summer ahead and beyond

November 2, 2023

Three La Niña events in a row and record-breaking rains in eastern Australia from 2020–2022 left a sodden landscape. Three La Niña events in a…