In early January, the Bureau of Meteorology released its Annual Climate Statement for 2019 which summarises their observations across the calendar year.
- 2019 was Australia’s driest year on record. Across the country, total rainfall was 40% below the long-term average and 11% below the previous driest year on record (1902). This record dry followed several years of below average rainfall in many regions.
- 2019 was also Australia’s hottest year on record. The average temperature across the year was 0.2°C above the previous record and 2019 included the six hottest days on record, the hottest week on record, the hottest month on record and the hottest season on record.
- The BoM’s Forest Fire Index was the highest since record keeping began in 1950, particularly in New South Wales, South Australia and eastern Victoria.
The associated extreme weather events included flooding in Queensland in January and February, large hail storms in Sydney in March and the unprecedented fire season currently being experienced across much of the country.
Although the local climate can be influenced by random weather variations and short-term drivers like El Nino, the BoM report reminded us that “Australia’s climate is increasingly affected by global warming, and natural variability takes place over the top of this background (warming) trend… The background warming trend can only be explained by human influence on the global climate.”
Reports like the Annual Climate Statement really help to underline why everybody at WestWind is so passionate about Australia’s transition to renewable energy. We love what we do!
A copy of the Annual Climate Statement is available on the Bureau of Meteorology’s website:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/
If you have enquiries, please contact us:
Phone: 03 5421 9999
Email: reception@w-wind.com.au
Project website: w-wind.com.au