2018 Among Hottest And Driest Years So Far In Parts Of Australia

The Guardian - Lisa Cox

BOM report highlights warmer temperatures as authorities warn about bushfire burning in Canberra’s southern suburbs

A water bombing airplane drops fire retardant at the Pierces Creek bushfire near Canberra on Friday. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP 

As a bushfire burned out of control south-west of Canberra and temperatures in Sydney climbed towards the high 30s, new data showed 2018 had so far been among the hottest and driest years on record for parts of Australia.
The months from January to October were some of the driest on record for New South Wales, Victoria and the Murray Darling basin regions, despite the recent rainfall.
The monthly drought statement from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) also says Australia’s maximum temperatures so far this year have been the second warmest on record – 1.41C above average.
New South Wales had its hottest January to October period on record at 2.2C above average, and Victoria equalled its 2014 record of 1.48C above average.
The capital cities experienced more warm conditions this week – Sydney was expected to reach 38C on Friday and Canberra and Melbourne recorded temperatures in the low and mid-30s during the week.
A large mass of hot air moving across NSW on Friday was responsible for driving temperatures up, prompting the rural fire service to raise the fire danger to severe for the Southern Ranges, Illawarra, Greater Sydney and Hunter regions at lunchtime on Friday. Total fire bans are in place across those regions.
Further south, authorities were warning about a bushfire burning in Canberra’s southern suburbs.
The bureau said the year to date had been exceptionally dry over mainland southeast Australia and “significant rainfall deficiencies” continued to affect large parts of east Australia.
“Compared to other January to October periods since 1900, year-to-date rainfall has been the third-lowest on record for the Murray–Darling Basin, fourth-lowest for New South Wales, and eighth-lowest for Victoria,” the BOM statement said.
It noted that October had been wetter than average for much of Australia but this had had little impact for areas affected by drought since the start of the year.
South-east Australia recorded below-average rainfall during October.
“Meteorological drought is rarely broken in a single event or month; typically regular rainfall over a period of several months is required to remove rainfall deficiencies of the magnitude of those currently in place,” the bureau said.
It is expected to release a special climate statement on Australia’s rainfall situation soon.

Links

• El Nino alert gives first indications for Christmas weather
• September the driest month on record
• NSW east coast now in 'severe' fire danger as mercury soars