CANBERRA, Australia – Australia rose its fourth hottest year on record last year despite the recent return of climate pattern La Nina, which normally cools, the nation’s weather agency said on Friday.
2020, wetter than average, followed Australia’s hottest and driest 2019, reaching a catastrophic conclusion with drought-fueled forest fires that killed at least 33 people, destroying more than 3,000 homes and ravaged 19 million hectares (47 million acres).
Globally, 2020 is likely to be recognized as the third warmest country in the world once the December climate data is calculated, said Andrew Watkins, head of climate operations at the Bureau of Meteorology.
The Doll, the coolest face of the well-known El Nino, was declared in the Pacific Ocean in September. Nina occurs when equatorial trade winds become stronger, changing ocean surface currents and generating colder deep water. Waikins said the La Nina cycle is usually set between March and May, but the weather pattern did not affect Australia’s temperatures until October.
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“You could say the fourth warmest year on record is our hottest year at La Nina,” Watkins said.
“But this year it started very hot and dry and ended more like La Nina. Therefore, it can be discussed whether you would say that it was really influenced for enough years to expect it to be cooler “, he added.
The highest temperature in Australia for 2020 was 48.9 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded at the height of the forest fire emergency in Penrith, New South Wales, on January 4. It was the warmest temperature recorded in the Sydney area.
The other hottest years in Australia were 2013 and 2005.
Australia’s daily temperature was 1.15 degrees Celsius (2.07 degrees Fahrenheit) above average last year and rainfall was 4 per cent above average despite a start of dry year.