Thursday 14 January 2010

FARK!! It looks like being hot and steamy across the Northern Rivers for the rest of summer


According to the Oz Bureau of Meteorology on 6th January this year:

Pacific Ocean warming near its peak
"Central Pacific Ocean temperatures remain well above El Niño thresholds. Trade wind strength returned to near normal over the past fortnight, slightly reducing the excessive warmth of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. However, significant areas remain more than 2°C above average at the surface, and over 4°C warmer than normal at depth. Climate models suggest that tropical Pacific temperatures may have peaked for this event, though are likely to remain above El Niño thresholds until the southern autumn. Despite a rise in recent days, the Southern Oscillation Index has generally remained at levels typical of an El Niño event over the past fortnight. Similarly, cloudiness and rainfall near the equator have remained enhanced, typical of a mature El Niño event. The influence of El Niño events on Australian rainfall typically declines by mid to late summer. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has a reduced impact upon Australia over the summer months."

In practical terms this means the NSW North Coast has a fair chance of baking for the rest of summer.

BOM maps can be found here and here.

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