Hopes were raised in June when the Bureau of Meteorology declared that the whopping multi-year La Niña weather event, responsible for soaking Sydney for two consecutive summers, was finally weakening. However, any optimism about a return to sunny skies was dampened just one month later in July, when early indications hinted that another rain-inducing weather event, the Indian Ocean Dipole, could send yet more downpours Australia’s way. BoM has now confirmed its summer forecast, and not only are we likely to have another soggy summer, but devastating floods are also highly likely in some parts of northern NSW.
The north coast around Byron Bay and Lismore is likely to see yet more floods, with the BoM issuing a warning that this region is likely to experience severe storms in the coming months and throughout the summer. The alarming forecast prompted federal emergency management minister Murray Watt to urge residents of NSW to “be prepared”, adding assurances that the Albanese government would be accelerating its efforts to install mitigation methods that could control the danger of flooding in the most at-risk areas.
During a press briefing at Parliament House on August 31, the BoM also warned that intense rainfall and the possibility of damaging storms and giant hail were likely across the East Coast of Australia. After almost three years of above-average rainfall, with a new 60-year record set in Sydney in late August, groundwater levels are already saturated. BoM climatologists warn that this will lead to rivers and creeks bursting their banks and reservoirs overflowing, as well as an increased risk of dangerous flash flooding.
The bureau has also predicted the formation of another La Niña later this year, stating that there is a 70 percent chance that Australia could experience a third consecutive year of increased rainfall as a result. The regularity of major rain events on the East Coast has become so frequent that communities around the worst affected floodplains had been inundated multiple times over the past two years. In response, the federal government will establish a $200-million annual Disaster Ready Fund, to speed mitigation infrastructure and recovery efforts.