La Nina wanes, ending Australia's wet summers

Summer rainfall in Australia was higher than normal, 27 per cent above the long-term national average, driven by a strong wet season in the north and tropical cyclones.

This has been northern Australia's wettest wet season in five years, ranking as the tenth wettest season on record.

We've had a summer of extreme rainfall and flooding in large parts of the country, University of Melbourne honorary Professor David Karoly told ACM.

"This summer's wildest weather has been driven by this ongoing La Nina event," Professor Karoly said.

The La Nina that has hung over Australia for three years is waning, offering respite from the rain and floods, he said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"It's really quite unusual to have three La Nina events, one after the other, over three years," he said.

There's been higher moisture content in the atmosphere and higher sea surface temperatures, encouraging heavier rainfall, he said.

"This summer we saw cold fronts coming up over the continent, instead of staying further south," a Weatherzone spokesperson told ACM.

"Summer cold snaps aren't rare, but they are uncommon," they said.

The wet and wild summer has drawn to a close, likely welcoming in warmer, drier weather.

So fire risk warnings are likely to be issued more frequently as the flourishing flora dries into kindling, Professor Karoly said.

Australia may be heading into an El Nino in the coming years, which will drive hotter temperatures and increased evaporation in dry periods, he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting less than average rainfall for most of Australia from March until May.

And temperatures are expected to rise, except in central parts of the New South Wales coast and eastern Victoria.