The Bureau of Meteorology has just declared an El Niño event has begun.
It is currently in early stages in the tropical Pacific, and it will have an effect on Australia. According to BOM, the event could increase the likelihood of drought over inland Australia and higher daytime temperatures.
Standard patterns of El Niño events include the weakening (or sometimes even reversing of direction) of winds in the Pacific. It also includes an effect on rain patterns – rainfall usually shifts eastward, away from Australia.
While in BOM’s warning report, they note that rainfall may be heavier than usual from May to June due to the current warmer than average condition of the Indian Ocean, but El Niño is expected to be the dominant influence on the Aussie climate in the second half of this year.
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