Dry soils also limit surface runoff, because water is absorbed into the soil. Hot, dry and windy conditions ahead of a cold front passing through southeastern Australia on the 25th led to elevated fire dangers across parts of eastern Australia, with renewed fire activity in northeastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. Western Australia posts its warmest winter on record, largely driven by a hot spell and new temperature highs in the north, as statewide rainfall drops 46 per cent below the winter average. They were the highest on record for much of Western Australia away from the coast, extending into northwest South Australia and the southwest of the Northern Territory, northern and eastern New South Wales, and southeastern Queensland, and an area of the Victoria River District in the Northern Territory. The SES responded to 74 requests for assistance, most related to downed trees and other wind related damage. A Cobram dairy technology company says the Victorian-NSW border permit system is “beyond a joke”, forcing them to choose between animal welfare or massive fines. February was also much warmer than average across western and far northern Australia, and for much of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. The Busbys Flat fire had started during 4 October, and by the 9th the combined area burnt by both fires was more than 78 000 hectares. All values in this statement were compiled from data available on the issue date. Northern Victoria and southern Riverina farmers can expect to see higher than average rainfalls due to an increased likelihood of a La Niña forming.“Most long-range forecasts analysed by the bureau, including from our own climate model, are indicating a La Niña could develop in the spring, which typically results in above-average winter-spring rainfall for Australia, particularly across eastern, central and northern regions,” he said.“A La Niña also typically brings cooler and cloudier days, more tropical cyclones, and an earlier onset of the first rains of the northern wet season." The national rainfall dataset commences in 1900. Details on some of these fires, and the antecedent conditions, can be found in Special Climate Statement
More details on dangerous bushfire weather and heat in spring 2019 can be found in the related
It was amongst the ten warmest years on record for all mainland States and the Northern Territory. Drought in Indonesia was associated with the most significant fire season since 2015. Mean maximum temperatures were the warmest on record at 2.09 °C above average, also well above the previous record, which was +1.59 °C in 2013. Intensive and sustained efforts by several hundred fire fighters, augmented by aircraft, ensured that building losses were limited, although large tracts of wilderness and forests were burnt in the southwest, Huon Valley, and Central Plateau. But some areas have largely missed out on recent rains. Very heavy rainfall led to flash flooding in the metropolitan region, with the Brisbane city gauge reporting 103 mm in one hour, delivering December's average rainfall total in one night. The Bureau of Meteorology has released its 2020 Spring Outlook, showing much of Australia has a high likelihood of above average rainfall in … Warm and windy conditions during spring to early summer led to repeated periods of severe fire weather, with very large bushfires affecting eastern Australia from September, with many fires continuing to burn after the end of the year. Windy conditions affected western and southern South Australia ahead of a strong front on 5 April. Spring brought little rainfall over the fire grounds, and further fires started across eastern New South Wales, and also in eastern Victoria and on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. More details on dangerous bushfire weather and heat in spring 2019 can be found in the related
“We're starting to see that in the Pacific with a La Niña beginning to take shape and we are also seeing some changes in the Indian Ocean, which may also boost the chance of rain during spring." Annual mean minima were in the highest 10% of historical observations for large parts of inland and northwestern Western Australia; western South Australia; parts of the central Northern Territory and Queensland's Gulf Country; southern Queensland and much of New South Wales; and parts of central to eastern Victoria. The area burnt in the 2018–19 season was the second largest on record for Tasmania, and the largest since at least 1967. Subsequent quality control and the availability of additional data may result in minor changes to final values. The other main driver of natural climate variability in Australia, the