SYDNEY, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Australia clocked its driest spring in 120 years of recorded history, the country’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), revealed.
In its spring climate wrap-up, the BoM said, the majority of Australia received rainfall which was well below average, and that a number of recording stations, right across the country, observed their driest spring ever.
Spring 2019 was also Australia’s fifth hottest on record, with the highest temperature at 47.1 degrees Celsius, recorded in mid-Nov, in Western Australia.
“Rainfall for spring was very much below average for most of Australia, and overall it was Australia’s driest spring on record,” the report said.
“The prolonged abnormally low rainfall, experienced over eastern Australia, continues to have significant impact on communities and the environment.”
Record hot and dry conditions have hit many rural farming communities particularly hard, with water supplies for some falling towards absolute zero and prompting strict regulations on water usage.
Sydney’s water supply dropped below 50 percent earlier in the year, and is on track to drop below 40 percent early 2020, with NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, preemptively announcing more stringent controls on water.
The conditions have also made 2019 a particularly bad bushfire season thus far, with wildfires igniting large swathes of bush more ferociously than in years before.
“Extremely dry conditions and very much above average temperatures led to increased fire risk across New South Wales and Queensland during spring,” the report said.
“Several large and dangerous fires have been burning in both States since early Sept, resulting in loss of both property and lives.”
