‘Everything is saturated’: what’s driving the latest floods in eastern Australia

CFA crews work to sandbag Campaspe esplanade in Echuca, Victoria. There is little reprieve for those in flood-affected areas, with heavy rain and storms forecast for eastern and south-eastern Australia. Photograph: Brendan Mccarthy/AAP

It’s been a very wet couple of years. By now, most people are all too familiar with La Niña and the weather event’s effect on rainfall over parts of Australia.

In the past week alone, heavy rain over Victoria, southern New South Wales and the northern parts of Tasmania has led to widespread flooding.