Devastating Australian Floods Result of La Nina

2010 annual rainfall compared against historical rainfall records.

North-Eastern Australia is currently suffering floods which are displacing thousands of people from their homes throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales. The likely culprit for these life-altering floods is the La Niña weather phenomenon, which has brought heavy rain and eased drought conditions throughout the east of Australia.

In their Annual Australian Climate Statement 2010, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology catalogue the highlights of the year in the countries weather. The La Niña event has had a massive effect throughout over two-thirds of the country, making 2010 the third wettest year on record, and helping Australia to its coolest year since 2001.

None of that, however, has stopped the last decade from being the warmest on record.

Highlights from the Climate Statement which can be read here include;

  • Very wet through the north and east
  • Drought eases in the east but continues in the southwest
  • Wettest on record “dry season” in the north
  • Big wet results in coolest year since 2001 but nonetheless the warmest decade on record
  • Flooding and storms
  • Sea surface temperatures near Australia
  • Globally 2010 is likely to be one of the warmest years on record

Read the full report for more information on each highlight, as well as find access to Australia’s climate change datasets.

Source: Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

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