Decreased rainfall in March quarter for Qld and northern NSW

The latest seasonal rainfall outlook issued by the Bureau of Meteorology shows a moderate shift in the odds towards below-normal March quarter (January to March) rainfall for much of Queensland and northern NSW. In contrast, a small region covering part of southwest Victoria and southeast SA has a moderate swing in the odds towards above average seasonal rainfall. However, the confidence in the outlooks at this time of year is rather low, so these outlooks should be used with caution.

The pattern of seasonal rainfall odds across Australia is mostly a result of higher than average temperatures in the Pacific Ocean (because of El Niño).

The chances of exceeding the median rainfall for the January to March period, are between 30 and 40% across eastern Australia east of a line from Sydney to Wanaaring to Cloncurry to Townsville. This means that BELOW median falls have about a 60 to 70% chance of occurring. So in years with ocean patterns like the current, about six or seven March quarters out of ten are expected to be drier than average over this part of the country, with about three or four out of ten being wetter.

In contrast, the chances of exceeding the median rainfall for the March quarter are between 60 and 65% over southwest Victoria and a narrow coastal strip in southeast SA. Over the rest, and majority, of the country, the chances are between 40 and 60% for a wetter than normal March quarter.

Outlook confidence is related to how consistently the Pacific and Indian Oceans affect Australian rainfall. During the March quarter, history shows the effect to be moderately consistent through eastern parts of NSW and Queensland, large parts of the NT and over much of southern and western WA. Elsewhere the effect is only weakly or very weakly consistent (see background information).

The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), negative for the seventh straight month as a result of the El Niño, rose from −15 in October to −1 in November. The approximate SOI for the 30 days ending 17th December was −4.

The current Pacific El Niño pattern, of which the low SOI is but one indicator, is expected to persist for most of the summer. For routine updates and comprehensive discussion on the latest data relating to El Niño, together with details on what the phenomenon is and how it has affected Australia in the past, please see the ENSO Wrap-Up.

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Regional versions of this media release are available: | Qld | NSW | Vic | Tas | SA | WA | NT |

Regional commentary is available from the Climate Services Centres in the Bureau's Regional Offices:

THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE SEASONAL OUTLOOK IS EXPECTED BY 23^rd JANUARY 2007

Corresponding temperature outlook

November 2006 rainfall in historical perspective

September to November 2006 rainfall in historical perspective

Background Information

• The Bureau's seasonal outlooks are general statements about the probability or risk of wetter or drier than average weather over a three-month period. The outlooks are based on the statistics of chance (the odds) taken from Australian rainfall/temperatures and sea surface temperature records for the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are not, however, categorical predictions about future rainfall, and they are not about rainfall within individual months of the three-month outlook period. The temperature outlooks are for the average maximum and minimum temperatures for the entire three-month outlook period. Information about whether individual days or weeks may be unusually hot or cold, is unavailable.

• This outlook is a summary. More detail is available from the contact people or from SILO (www.bom.gov.au/silo/products/SClimate.shtml).

• Probability outlooks should not be used as if they were categorical forecasts. More on probabilities is contained in the booklet The Seasonal Climate Outlook - What it is and how to use it, available from the National Climate Centre. These outlooks should be used as a tool in risk management and decision making. The benefits accrue from long-term use, say over 10 years. At any given time, the probabilities may seem inaccurate, but taken over several years, the advantages of taking account of the risks should outweigh the disadvantages. For more information on the use of probabilities, farmers could contact their local departments of agriculture or primary industry.

• Model Consistency and Outlook Confidence: Strong consistency means that tests of the model on historical data show a high correlation between the most likely outlook category (above/below median) and the verifying observation (above/below median). In this situation relatively high confidence can be placed in the outlook probabilities. Low consistency means the historical relationship, and therefore outlook confidence, is weak. In the places and seasons where the outlooks are most skilful, the category of the eventual outcome (above or below median) is consistent with the category favoured in the outlook about 75% of the time. In the least skilful areas, the outlooks perform no better than random chance or guessing. The rainfall outlooks perform best in eastern and northern Australia between July and January, but are less useful in autumn and in the west of the continent. The skill at predicting seasonal maximum temperature peaks in early winter and drops off marginally during the second half of the year. The lowest point in skill occurs in early autumn. The skill at predicting seasonal minimum temperature peaks in late autumn and again in mid-spring. There are also two distinct periods when the skill is lowest - namely late summer and mid-winter. However, it must always be remembered that the outlooks are statements of chance or risk. For example, if you were told there was a 50:50 chance of a horse winning a race but it ran second, the original assessment of a 50:50 chance could still have been correct.

• The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is calculated using the barometric pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin. The SOI is one indicator of the stage of El Niño or La Niña events in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is best considered in conjunction with sea-surface temperatures, which form the basis of the outlooks. A moderate to strongly negative SOI (persistently below –10) is usually characteristic of El Niño, which is often associated with below average rainfall over eastern Australia, and a weaker than normal monsoon in the north. A moderate to strongly positive SOI (persistently above +10) is usually characteristic of La Niña, which is often associated with above average rainfall over parts of tropical and eastern Australia, and an earlier than normal start to the northern monsoon season. The Australian impacts of 23 El Niño events since 1900 are summarized on the Bureau's web site (www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/).