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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Alex Crowe

La Nina nears end amid Canberra's below average summer

Rohan Hale, Bridget Hovan and Dorothy Daley enjoy a swim on the last day of summer before the cooler weather sets in. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

Canberra has experienced a relatively dry summer despite La Nina, with rainfall totals mostly below average at all sites, the Bureau of Meteorology reports.

January brought in more rain than other months, even as La Nina weakened in the tropical Pacific Ocean, leading meteorologists to predict it is coming to an end.

The wettest day was on January 5 when 39.2 millimeters of rain was recorded at the Canberra National Botanic Gardens.

The top temperature and bottom temperature were below the long-term average for summer in the ACT. Summer peaked on the Saturday of the Multicultural Festival, with 36.1 degrees recorded at the Canberra Airport.

The coldest morning happened on December 9 when temperatures dropped to 0.9 degrees at the airport.

While summer rainfall was above average for most of northern Australia, which meant rainfall was 27 per cent above average nationally, the ACT was not alone in recording less than expected for this time of year.

Tasmania, Victoria, eastern and northern NSW and the south-eastern quarter of Queensland had a drier-than-average summer.

The national mean temperature for summer was .07 degrees above the 1961-1990 average, the bureau has reported in its season update.

Mean minimum temperatures for summer were below average for much of NSW and eastern to central northern Queensland, the central Northern Territory, and extending across much of the Kimberley.

The bureau said climate change continues to influence Australian temperatures.

"Australia's climate has warmed by around 1.47 degrees over the period 1910-2021.

"Southern Australia has seen a reduction of 10 to 20 per cent in cool season rainfall in recent decades."

The bureau said ocean indicators of La Nina had returned to neutral levels, while atmospheric indicators that remain at La Nina levels have started to weaken.

All but one climate model suggests sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific will remain neutral through autumn. One model is forecasting El Nino thresholds in May.

While summer is now over there is some more warm weather on the way this week.

Thursday is forecast to reach 28 degrees at the Canberra Airport, Friday will reach a top of 25 degrees, Saturday is headed for 27 degrees, while on Sunday and Monday it's expected to reach 31 degrees.

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