Australia is experiencing its rainiest summer since 2017 and this wet weather will last for some time. For example, torrential thunderstorms in Northeast Queensland this weekend will bring hundreds of millimeters of rain down. Due to recent rainfall, the water in rivers and basins is already high and there is a risk of flooding. The Australian autumn (spring for us) is also expected to be wetter than usual.
December was the fourth month of rainfall in December since measurements began in 1900, and January and February also brought some rain in Australia. This is in stark contrast this summer with last year, when Australia had to deal with particularly severe bushfires in December 2019. Not only is it humid, it is the coldest summer since 2012. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the Australian Institute show KNMI. The wet and cold weather is the result of La Niña. Due to La Niña, spring in the Netherlands will likely be much drier than usual.
Also read: What is La Niña and what disasters this natural phenomenon causes.
Heavy rains in northeastern Australia
Northeast Queensland is experiencing heavy thunderstorms this weekend and Monday. In Townsville, as many as 300 mm of rain can fall in three days. This is as far as it usually falls in the whole month of February or March. Rain may continue next week and could cause a tropical cyclone. In the summer of 2019, Townsville was hit by one of the worst floods since 1860.
Photo: Adobe Stock / On-Air
Door: Ladies Yanik
