Maleny Weather » National Weather News

La Niña strengthens in the Pacific

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:22:02 +0000

A La Niña event is now well established in the Pacific Ocean. All computer models surveyed by the Bureau suggest Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) will remain above La Niña thresholds through the southern hemisphere spring, with the majority indicating the event will persist into at least early 2011.

La Niña periods are usually, but not always, associated with above normal rainfall during the second half of the year across large parts of Australia, most notably eastern and northern regions. Night time temperatures are historically warmer than average and Tropical Cyclone occurrence for northern Australia is typically higher than normal during the cyclone season (November-April).

Last Week’s Riddle: Why did the woman go outdoors with her purse open? Answer: Because she expected some change in the weather.

This week’s riddle: What gets wetter the more it dries?

State of the Climate

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:46:22 +0000

Two organisations, CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology have combined to present a current picture of Australia’s climate. A summary of their report shows that Australia will be hotter in coming decades.
Australian average temperatures are projected to rise by 0.6 to 1.5 ºC by 2030. If global greenhouse gas emis¬sions continue to grow at rates consistent with past trends, warming is projected to be in the range of 2.2 to 5.0 ºC by 2070. Warming is projected to be lower near the coast and in Tasmania and higher in central and north-western Australia. These changes will be felt through an increase in the number of hot days.
Much of Australia will also be drier in coming decades. In Australia compared to the period 1981-2000, decreases in rainfall are likely in the decades to come in south¬ern areas of Australia during winter, in southern and eastern areas during spring, and in south-west Western Australia during autumn. An increase in the number of dry days is expected across the country, but it is likely that there will be an increase in intense rainfall events in many areas.
It is very likely that human activities have caused most of the global warming observed since 1950
There is greater than 90% certainty that increases in greenhouse gas emissions have caused most of the global warming since the mid-20th century. International research shows that it is extremely unlikely that the observed warming could be explained by natural causes alone. Evidence of human influence has been detected in ocean warming, sea-level rise, continental-average temperatures, temperature extremes and wind patterns. CSIRO research has shown that higher greenhouse gas levels are likely to have caused about half of the winter rainfall reduction in south-west Western Australia.
The observations clearly demonstrate that climate change is real. CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology will continue to provide observations and research so that Australia’s responses are underpinned by science of the highest quality.
The Bureau of Meteorology has been observing and reporting on weather in Australia for over 100 years, and CSIRO has been conducting atmospheric and marine research for over 60 years.

Lake Eyre Comes to Life Again this Year

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:19:52 +0000

Lake Eyre Has a New Look

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:22:59 +0000

Tornado Hits NSW Coast

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:38:08 +0000

Hot Days Up

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:42:55 +0000

source Bureau of Meteorology

Cold Days Down

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:30:36 +0000

El Niño Finishes

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:09:10 +0000

The El Niño event of 2009/10 has concluded, with all the major indicators now below El Niño thresholds. Latest observations show that sea surface temperatures, trade winds, the Southern Oscillation Index and cloudiness over the Pacific have all returned to levels considered typical of neutral (i.e. neither El Niño nor La Niña) conditions. The timing of the decline in the 2009/10 El Niño event has been fairly typical, with the event peaking over summer then decaying during autumn.

El Niño Breakdown

admin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:06:51 +0000

The recent decrease in trade wind strength over the Pacific, which stalled the decay of the current El Niño event, appears to have ended.

Central Pacific sea surface temperatures remain warmer than the long-term average.The sub-surface water of the tropical Pacific continues to cool. The SOI has fallen slightly through March. The latest approximate 30-day value of the SOI is −12. Trade winds have strengthened in the equatorial Pacific. Cloudiness near the date-line has fluctuated through March.Most international computer models are predicting a return to neutral conditions during the southern hemisphere autumn.

Flood Warnings

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:40:16 +0000

More rainfall is expected in north-east NSW as remnants of Cyclone Laurence move east.