City
Epaper

Australia witnesses driest spring season in 120 years

By IANS | Updated: December 2, 2019 13:00 IST

Australia has witnessed its driest spring season in 120 years of recorded history, the country's Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) revealed on Monday.

Open in App

In its spring climate wrap-up, the BoM said that 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, reports Xinhua news agency.

Spring 2019 was also Australia's fifth hottest on record with the highest temperature at 47.1 degrees Celsius, recorded in mid-November in Western Australia.

"Rainfall for spring was below 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 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 per cent earlier in the year and is on track to drop below 40 per cent early 2020.

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 September, resulting in loss of both property and lives."

( With inputs from IANS )

Open in App

Related Stories

TechnologyRDI fund marks landmark step in boosting India’s research and development ecosystem: Govt

HealthRDI fund marks landmark step in boosting India’s research and development ecosystem: Govt

BusinessRDI fund marks landmark step in boosting India’s research and development ecosystem: Govt

NationalPMK faction clash: MLA Arul’s convoy attacked in Salem, five injured

Other SportsWPL mega auction to be held on November 27 in New Delhi: Sources

International Realted Stories

InternationalSouth Korea says retaking wartime operational control from US would upgrade alliance

InternationalAfghan police seizes 225 kg of opium in Ghazni

InternationalPakistan: Students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffer due to shortage of teachers, administrative failures

InternationalEAM Jaishankar discusses strategic partnership, zero tolerance towards terrorism with Israeli counterpart

InternationalUK MPs raise concerns over human rights violations in Balochistan