Variable becoming the new normal for Australian weather

Australia’s rainfall is perhaps the most variable of any continent on Earth.

When averaged across the country, rainfall in 2015 was only slightly below normal. However, there were large areas of both extreme dry and relative wet across Australia and throughout the year.

Last year’s weather was dominated by one of the strongest El Niño events on record, contributing to high temperatures, reduced rainfall and devastating bushfires in Australia.

Observations from the Pacific show that El Niño has likely peaked, with models predicting its demise over the coming months. So does this mean the weather will return to “normal”?

Read the story on The Conversation - “Hasta la vista El Niño – but don’t hold out for ‘normal’ weather just yet.”