Scorching spring heat in Sydney these days. Photo: ANP/EPA/STEVE MARKHAM from Australia and New Zealand
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says a spring heatwave in southeastern Australia will intensify on Monday. For example, the temperature in Sydney on Monday could rise to 36 degrees, 16 degrees above the average temperature in September.
The heat wave escalated in the interior of Australia last weekend and is likely to continue until Wednesday in the states of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. A stronger cold front will then pass over these southeastern states and drop the temperature to about 22 degrees.
The Met Office expects several early spring records to be broken in the coming days, describing the heat as “extremely unusual for September”. High temperatures have already taken their toll during the Sydney Marathon on Sunday, when 26 runners were taken to hospital and emergency services had to treat a further 40 people due to heat exhaustion.
Forest fires
High temperatures have also increased the risk of bushfires, and there are currently about 50 fires in NSW, but all are under control.
The weather service cites El Niño as the reason behind September’s noticeable heat. This natural phenomenon can lead to extreme weather events in Australia from September to November, from bushfires to cyclones and drought.
Limited impact of the El Niño phenomenon in our country
Regarding the El Niño phenomenon, the impact of this phenomenon in our country is much less. The remnants of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean often move from North America towards Europe and sometimes affect the weather in our country. This can lead to stormy fall weather, but that’s certainly not always the case.
If former hurricanes stay longer in the open ocean, we will experience southerly winds and an increased chance of nice weather in late summer. It looks increasingly likely this will happen from next weekend when ex-Cyclone Nigel reaches western Ireland. However, the relationship between El Niño and the weather in our country is weak. However, in a strong El Niño year, we often get a wetter than usual spring.
Read also: This is the effect of El Niño on the weather in the Netherlands
