Bureau of Meteorology warns La Nina may cause cyclones, floods and viruses on horizon
Flash flooding, mosquito-borne viruses, cyclones and dangerous bushfire conditions could be about to wreak havoc in Australia over the next few months according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Victoria
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Australia is on high alert for a wet spring that could bring disastrous cyclones, floods and mosquito-borne viruses.
After a year that started with the bushfire crisis, the Bureau of Meteorology is now warning of a 70 per cent chance of a La Niña weather pattern that would bring extreme conditions.
The national cabinet was briefed on Friday about the imminent change in weather so emergency response plans could be locked in.
Speaking after the meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the La Niña effect would create the risk of flooding and cyclones, with concerning bushfire conditions also expected in parts of Queensland and Western Australia.
The Prime Minister said Emergency Management Australia had been immediately tasked with working with states and territories to implement “seamless operational arrangements” to tackle any natural disaster.
He warned that the movement of emergency services workers and Defence Force personnel could not be impeded by state border restrictions.
”One of the challenges going into this season is making sure (the states and territories) have COVID-safe emergency response measures,” Mr Morrison
“We obviously don’t want firefighters doing two weeks in hotel quarantine.”
“I believe we have the best people to respond to those challenges … We need to have quite streamlined arrangements.”
The Bureau of Meteorology’s climate operations manager Dr Andrew Watkins said last month that the chance of a La Niña this year was three times the normal likelihood.
He said it would bring above average rainfall, particularly across the eastern, central and northern parts of the country.
“It typically also brings cooler and cloudier days, more tropical cyclones, and an earlier onset of the first rains of the wet season across the north,” Dr Watkins said.
“The cooling of surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and an increase in the strength of the Pacific Trade Winds indicates the chance of La Niña has risen. When these two changes occur at the same time, at this time of year, we see a greatly increased chance of a La Niña forming and persisting through spring.”
The last significant La Niña event was in 2010-11, which was Australia’s wettest two-year period on record. It included Cyclone Yasi, which devastated northern Queensland with winds of up to 285km/h.
Originally published as Bureau of Meteorology warns La Nina may cause cyclones, floods and viruses on horizon