Local residents are adapting their gardens to thrive despite rising temperatures and extreme weather

Dr Christa Pudmenzky explains how Moreton Bay's June climate is changing. Plus, how will rising temperatures impact green thumbs?

DATA from the Bureau of Meteorology suggests Moreton Bay's June climate is warming.

Back in the early 1970s, the coldest June night reached nine degrees.

Now, it's more like 10 degrees - around one degree warmer than 50 years ago.

And these changes are set to continue.

In 10 years time, CSIRO expects that Moreton Bay will have a warmer and drier winter climate more like present day Bundaberg.

So what does this mean?

This could make it harder for gardeners to grow winter veggies like spinach and pumpkin which need cool temperatures to thrive.

As a result, green thumbs are considering drought and heat tolerant species.

One such species is a native known as "Warrigal greens" - an alternative to spinach more suited to a warming climate.

Local community members have also been impacted

Hear from Courtney Conroy from Dayboro:

Want more information on how your climate is changing? Check out the last article in this series.

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.