La Nina to bring increased risk of flooding in Queensland

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of an increased risk of widespread flooding and tropical cyclones in Queensland.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of an increased risk of widespread flooding and tropical cyclones in Queensland.

La Nina is likely to bring more rain to eastern and northern Australia and could lead to an earlier than normal arrival for the first rains of this year’s northern wet season.

Bureau climatologist Greg Browning while recent decades have seen a decline in the number of cyclones, this summer is likely to buck the trend.

“On average Australia sees nine to 11 tropical cyclones each year, with four crossing the coast. With La Nina this year we are expecting to see slightly more tropical cyclones than average, and the first one may arrive earlier than normal,” he said.

“Every northern wet season has had at least one tropical cyclone cross the Australian coast, so we can never be complacent. We know that cyclones can develop at any time throughout the tropical cyclone season, which runs from November to April.

“This means that communities right across northern Australia need to stay be prepared now, and stay informed from the very start of the tropical cyclone season in October, right though until April.”

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Climate scientist Dr Andrew Magee from the Centre of Water, Climate and Land at the University of Newcastle, who helped develop a new cyclone outlook, told the Townsville Bulletin there is a 55 per cent chance of more than four cyclones developing off the east coast of Australia this season.

He explained that was slightly above the season average and not all of them would make landfall.

Originally published as La Nina to bring increased risk of flooding in Queensland