‘Floods, heavy rain’: La Nina ‘sandwich’ to unleash six months of weather hell

Queenslanders are being told to prepare for another wet six months living in a ‘La Nina sandwich’, with a third consecutive year of the atmospheric phenomenon bringing above-average rainfall and flooding.

Queenslanders are being told to brace themselves for another wet six months, with a third consecutive year of La Nina bringing above average rainfall and flooding.

This comes after the devastating Queensland floods that claimed more than 18 lives at the start of this year.

And popular weather forecasting Facebook page Higgins Storm Chasing has described Australia as the “land meat between and Indian and Pacific ocean sandwich for the next six months”.

“All the latest global data is still saying above-average rain,” the forecaster said this week.

Sky News chief meteorologist Tom Saunders urged residents in low-lying areas to start making evacuation plans if they had not already got a contingency.

Queensland is set to be hit by a 'La Nina' sandwich.

“All of the indicators from the Pacific Ocean are currently in the La Nina phase,” Mr Saunders said.

“It’s the sea surface temperatures, it’s the subsurface temperatures, the cloud cover, the strength of the trade winds, upper-level westerly winds, pressure pattern … that’s the first piece of the puzzle.

“The other one is the Indian Ocean (which) is in a negative Indian Ocean Dipole phase”.

This basically means both major oceans on either side of Australia (west and east) are in a wet phase: a double-negative which will enhance rainfall.

Sky News chief meteorologist Tom Saunders.

Mr Saunders said there had only been three double negatives since 1900: 1974, 2010 and last year, 2021.

In both 1974 and 2010, there was widespread rain and flooding, which affected South East Queensland and predominantly Brisbane.

“Last year, we had a pretty weak negative Indonesian dipole and La Nina, this time, the negative IOD (Indian Ocean Diapole) is actually much stronger – so we’re in pretty rare territory.

Mr Saunders said most La Ninas peaked in late spring, early summer, but because of the negative IOD, it was likely to peak more in late winter, early to mid-spring, and then weaken by December. .

Flooding in Brisbane in May. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

Though the looming deluge may threaten summer plans, the rain may bring some much- needed rain to farmers across the tropics and should suppress bushfire activity again.

There is an increased risk of flooding once again in Queensland, according to the latest weather update from Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk.

“I don’t want Queenslanders to be alarmed but what I do want to see is people to be prepared,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

She said the weather conditions could be similar to what Queensland had over the summer this year when flooding events devastated a number of suburbs.

“We will talk to all of the mayors just to make sure we’re very well prepared and to see how everyone is going with the implementation of the recommendations from the last flooding event,” she said.

Bureau of Meteorologist Laura Boekel said the state would be seeing a wetter-than-average end to winter and through to spring.

“That means that we’re gearing up for a season that could see increased flooding,” she said.

BOM is also on La Nina watch, meaning it is likely another La Nina would form, which Ms Boekel said could see a wetter summer as well.

She said all of Queensland should be aware of an increased chance of rain this season.

“We can’t pinpoint exactly where we would see events... just keeping it broadly that all of Queensland should see quite a bit of rainfall this summer,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Floods, heavy rain’: La Nina ‘sandwich’ to unleash six months of weather hell