The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has confirmed that the south pacific is heading into its third consecutive La Niña weather event, meaning continued dry conditions for the southern parts of the United States, a colder and wetter winter in the northern U.S. and Canada, and a wetter summer for those on the east coast of Australia.
The head of BOM long-range forecasts, Andrew Watkins, said the bureau’s three-month climate outlook shows a high chance of above-average rainfall for most of the eastern half of the Australian mainland and eastern Tasmania.
“During La Niña events, waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are cooler than normal, and waters in the western tropical Pacific Ocean warmer than normal. This causes changes in wind, cloud and pressure patterns over the Pacific,” BOM said. “When this change in the atmosphere combines with changes in ocean temperature, it can influence global weather patterns and climate, including increasing rainfall over large parts of Australia.”…