From The New Daily (31/1/24)
Conflicting reports over wet La Nina for 2024 create confusion
There are conflicting opinions on whether Australia will face a wet La Nina event this year
Sky News and ABC meteorologists have run stories about how the weather system is likely to develop and drench the country in 2024.
But the Bureau of Meteorology and independent meteorologists say that it is too early to tell.
A BoM spokesperson said at this stage “it is soon to forecast a La Nina event”.
“Historically, La Nina has developed around 40 to 50 per cent of the time after an El Nino. La Nina tends to begin closer to autumn,” the spokesperson said.
“Around half of the years since 1900 have been either La Nina or El Nino. La Nina occurs on average every three to seven years.”
La Nina and El Nino events occur when the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere above it change from their normal states for a sustained time, with the former associated with warming and the latter periods of sustained cooling.
