Driest September In Australian Weather Records; Fires In NSW, Tasmania, Victoria

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Australia has recorded its driest September since records began in 1900 with a national rainfall average of just 4.83mm. The data from the Bureau of Meteorology on Monday came as fires burned out of control in Victoria and New South Wales amid warnings of potential flash flooding later in the week.

Total rainfall was 70.8% below the 1961-1990 average for September, influenced by a positive Indian Ocean dipole, the recently declared El Niño and the long-term effects of the climate crisis. The BoM said September – also one of the driest months overall since records began – was dominated by high-pressure systems that brought settled weather conditions and cloudless sky for most of the country. It was also Australia’s third-warmest September on record, with a national mean temperature 2.43C above average.

EDIT

The start of October has also brought extreme conditions across much of the country. Three uncontained fires were burning in Victoria on Monday afternoon and parts of the state were warned of potential floods and damaging winds in coming days.

In NSW, there were 70 fires burning with 13 yet to be controlled as of Monday afternoon. In Tasmania, a bushfire emergency warning was issued for Pine Scrub and Leeka on Flinders Island. In Victoria, temperatures above 30C and winds from an approaching cold front prompted a total fire ban in Mallee on Monday.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/02/australia-records-driest-september-since-observations-began-as-fires-rage-in-victoria-and-nsw

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