El Niño to hit Australia later this year, says Bureau of Meteorology

El Niño is likely to become the “dominant influence” on Australian climate during the second half of the year,” says a report published by the Australian government’s Bureau of Meteorology on May 12.

“El Niño is often associated with below-average winter and spring rainfall over eastern Australia and above-average daytime temperatures over the southern half of the country. However, the current May to July outlook suggests much of Australia is likely to be wetter than average,” the report says.

El Niño is a climatic event that occurs due to the natural warming of tropical Pacific waters. The warm waters affect wind circulation.

“A strong El Niño five years ago was linked with poor monsoons in Southeast Asia, droughts in southern Australia, the Philippines and Ecuador, blizzards in the US, heatwaves in Brazil and extreme flooding in Mexico,” says a BBC report published on May 12.

“Although no El Niño periods are the same, in Australia they are generally associated with less rainfall, warmer temperatures, shallower snow depths and higher fire risk. Of the 26 El Niño events since 1900, 17 have resulted in widespread drought,” says a report by the Guardian.