From fire to floods: Another year of extremes as the country experiences its hottest November on record

Dr Christa Pudmenzky discusses Brisbane's year so far. Plus, resident Jan Stephensen reflects on last weekend's storms.

2020 to date has recorded above average temperatures and below average rainfall for Brisbane. Cape Moreton, 17 December 2020, Source: Monash University.

Moreton Bay's windy week of downpours is set to continue into the weekend, with temperatures remaining in the mid-20s.

After a weekend of record-breaking rainfall, it seems fitting to say 2020 has been a year of extremes.

With COVID-19 dominating the news, you could be excused for forgetting the year began with one of the most dangerous bushfire seasons Australia has ever seen.

Record high temperatures occurred across Australia, including in Brisbane, where the hottest day so far this year was 40.7 degrees on the 3rd of February.

So far in 2020, daytime temperatures have been above average and rainfall has been below average, which the weather bureau forecasts will still be the case by the end of the year.

This is despite the La Nina conditions now impacting the east coast and a flood warning in place from last week.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, many places across south east Queensland had their wettest December day on record last weekend.

For instance, Springbrook received over 338mm of rainfall on Sunday, their wettest day in history.

This month the bureau also reported Australia had its hottest November on record for maximum, minimum and average temperatures.

Voices from your community

Jan Stephensen, local resident of 28 years reflected on rainfall of Christmases past in Toorbul.

"In the 70s and 80s, there was always sufficient rain during the Christmas vacation for us to only have tank water in use, and with a family of six," she said.

"However, in recent years, the rainfall has decreased and sometimes our family ... runs dangerously low on tank water."

Last weekend's storms have caused infrastructure damage across Brisbane.

"There was damage to buildings, and many uprooted trees, as well as branches down everywhere," she recalled.

Community voices like Jan's tell us how residents and business owners in Brisbane feel about their local climate. If you would like to contribute your voice to our column, you can fill out our 5-minute survey here.

Did you know?

In November, 57 places across Australia recorded their hottest November ever.

The Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO reported that since 2001, there were triple the number of heat records broken in Australia than cool records for daytime temperatures.

Brisbane is likely to break more heat records and fewer cold records in the coming years.

Dr Christa Pudmenzky is a climate scientist at the University of Southern Queensland.

This column is part of a collaboration between Monash University and News Corp to deliver hyperlocal weather and climate information.

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