el-Nino declared in Australia

El-Nino declared

El Niño is one phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (otherwise known as ENSO). ENSO refers to a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that see-saws between El Niño, La Niña and Neutral phases.

It can have impacts all around the globe.

In Australia El Niño typically reduces rainfall over the eastern half of the country, while in a La Niña phase, rainfall tends to be above normal.

This video has further explanations of ENSO and its impact on Australian climate:  




Check out the video above.

Wait until you see the records that have just been set tumble now


----Kevin Hester

From the Austalian Bureau of Meteorology

The tropical Pacific is in the early stages of El Niño. Based upon model outlooks and current observations, the Bureau's ENSO Tracker has been raised to El Niño status.

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indicators have shown a steady trend towards El Niño levels since the start of the year. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean have exceeded El Niño thresholds for the past month, supported by warmer-than-average waters below the surface. Trade winds have remained consistently weaker than average since the start of the year, cloudiness at the Date Line has increased and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has remained negative for several months. These indicators suggest the tropical Pacific Ocean and atmosphere have started to couple and reinforce each other, indicating El Niño is likely to persist in the coming months.

International climate models surveyed by the Bureau indicate that tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures are likely to remain above El Niño thresholds through the coming southern winter and at least into spring.

El Niño is often associated with below-average winter and spring rainfall over eastern Australia, and above-average daytime temperatures over the southern half of the country. However, the current May to July outlook suggests much of Australia is likely to be wetter than average. This is because a warmer-than-average Indian Ocean is dominating this outlook. El Niño is expected to become the dominant influence on Australian climate during the second half of the year.

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/

How does ENSO typically affect New Zealand?

During El Niño, New Zealand tends to experience stronger or more frequent winds from the west in summer, typically leading to drought in east coast areas and more rain in the west. In winter, the winds tend to be more from the south, bringing colder conditions to both the land and the surrounding ocean. In spring and autumn south–westerly winds are more common.

https://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-training/schools/students/enln