The Northern Hemisphere summer brought catastrophic fires and floods to many countries. Down south, the winter was the hottest ever recorded in Australia, fuelled by record ocean temperatures.
Small wonder many Australians are worried about what summer will bring, as a likely El Niño threatens hot and dry fire weather. In the early southern spring, the fire season has already kicked off in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory, just as anticipated in seasonal predictions. The recent spring heatwave saw dozens of marathon runners in Sydney hospitalised and even threatened lives.
