Weather bureau says hottest, driest year on record led to extreme bushfire season

The Bureau of Meteorology’s annual climate statement released today confirms 2019 was the nation’s warmest and driest year on record. It’s the first time since overlapping records began that Australia experienced both its lowest rainfall and highest temperatures in the same year.

It’s the first time since overlapping records began that
Australia experienced both its lowest rainfall and
highest temperatures in the same year.

The national rainfall total was 37mm, or 11.7%, below the 314.5 mm recorded in the previous driest year in 1902. The national average temperature was nearly 0.2°C above the previous warmest year in 2013. 

Globally, 2019 is likely to be the second-warmest year, with global temperatures about 0.8 °C above the 1961–1990 average. It has been the warmest year without the influence of El Niño.

Across the year, Australia experienced many extreme events including flooding in Queensland and large hail in New South Wales. However, due to prolonged heat and drought, the year began and ended with fires burning across the Australian landscape.

Read the story from The Conversation - “Weather bureau says hottest, driest year on record led to extreme bushfire season.”

Australia’s 2018 in weather: drought, heat and fire

Last year was a time of exceptional weather and record-breaking heat according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s annual climate statement, which was released last night.

Queensland’s ‘unprecedented’ bushfires were part of a year of extremes.

The Bureau issued four Special Climate Statements relating to “extreme” and “abnormal” heat, and reported a number of broken climate records.

One of the headline stories for the year was drought across eastern Australia — centred on New South Wales, but also affecting Victoria, eastern South Australia and southern Queensland.

Read the story from The Conversation by the Climate Scientist with Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Karl Braganza - “Australia’s 2018 in weather: drought, heat and fire.”