Record September rains precede dry spells ahead for Australia
Rains may have exceeded forecast earlier set by Australia's climatologist but the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Friday that the great amount of rain that poured on much of the country would not offset the alarming possibility of severe dry years ahead, which could also affect the country's short-term agribusiness outlook.
BOM senior climatologist Blair Trewin has reported that September saw the nation's wettest month in more than a hundred years as average rains during the period climbed to 49mm, edging out the 41mm registered as far back in 1906 and three times more than the usual average of 17mm rainfall each year.
The bureau attributed the rainfall spikes to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases as Mr Trewin noted that the month usually marks the driest season in Australia but he pointed to westerly winds that instead blew southward and pushed down the rainy conditions felt in the country.
He said that the upward surge of greenhouse gases levels would lead to a drier season in southwest Western Australia, which could be replicated in the next few years, while the same greenhouse effect brought higher rainfall in northern and central part of Australia, which the climatologist noted used to experience dry spells during this time of the year.
La Nina could also be blamed on the greater frequency of rains, according to Mr Trewin, as he added that Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia saw their record wet September last month, which came amidst the very dry conditions being felt in the farthest southwest fringes of WA.
The bureau said that rainfall in South Australia already surpassed its annual average but Victoria's drought continued punishing the region as the state entered its 14th consecutive year of less-than-average rainfall though the bureau noted that the current year marked as the wettest for Victoria since 1996.
Overall, the prospect of Australia's agricultural produce is generally good considering the above-average rainfall that the country has experienced so far in the year yet the bureau cautioned producers to be way of the incoming dry spell that could impact their agribusiness outlook for a number of years to come.