Fun in the sun … but it won’t last much longer, with La Nina predicted to pour rain all wet season long
TERRITORIANS are lapping up the last of the Dry weather ahead of what’s predicted to be a wet season with heavy rain, thanks to several building weather patterns in the Northern Territory.
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- Top End braces for wetter than average rainy season
- Chances of La Nina in 2020 now at 70 per cent, Bureau of Meteorology says
TERRITORIANS are lapping up the last of the Dry weather ahead of what’s predicted to be a wet season with heavy rain, thanks to several building weather patterns in the Northern Territory.
Having recently moved up from Melbourne, Jessica Menhenett and her sister Chelsea are hoping they get to enjoy the beaches and outdoors before it’s too late.
“We just want to get as much swimming and exercise in as we can and go to as many markets as well,” she said.
“It’s a different environment from where we used to live.”
The Bureau of Meteorology’s weekly tropical climate note says there’s an increased chance the La Nina weather phenomenon will hit the Northern Territory because of current weather conditions and international climate models.
It would be complemented by the likely forming of the Indian Ocean Diploe (IOD), a weather pattern based on cooler temperature anomalies in the Indian Ocean, during Spring.
“Above-average rainfall across the Northern Territory and Queensland is a typical occurrence with La Nina and a negative IOD during the September to November period,” the alert said.
“This increases the chance of above-average rains during the early wet season months.”
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Expected warmer-than-average waters around Northern Australia are another factor conducive to above-average rainfall across Northern Australia.
“The last significant La Nina was the back-to-back episode in 2010-12. Australia had its highest two-year rainfall total on record during this time.”
The early rainfall onset would also allow significant relief for the Territory's agriculture industry.
“The measure of 50mm is used as it is considered to be sufficient rainfall to stimulate pasture growth after the dry months of the northern dry season (May to September),” the report said.
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While the rain is coming, forecasts indicated it may still be a few weeks away, with a five per cent chance of rain tomorrow, while the rest of the week is expected to have clearer skies.
But when it rains it’s expected to pour, with rainfall set to continue for the duration of the wet season, from October to April, thanks to these climate drivers.
Originally published as Fun in the sun … but it won’t last much longer, with La Nina predicted to pour rain all wet season long