Australia Records Warmest Winter Ever

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported today, Friday, that the country has recorded its warmest winter ever, just ahead of a highly anticipated decision regarding the possibility of the country experiencing the El Niño phenomenon, which is typically associated with hotter and drier weather. The bureau stated on its website that the average temperatures for the season from June to August increased by 1.53 degrees Celsius above the average for the period between 1961 and 1990, marking the highest since temperature records began in 1910. Meanwhile, the rainfall during the winter season across the country decreased by 4.2 percent compared to the average for the period between 1961 and 1990, although northern regions in Western Australia and Queensland, as well as vast areas in the north and east of South Australia, were exceptions. The unusual end to this warm winter in the Southern Hemisphere may pave the way for a potential declaration of the El Niño phenomenon. The bureau had previously indicated that a change in weather patterns is likely to occur between September and November.