Annual Climate Summary 2012 video script

2012 was a year of climate contrasts.

It followed Australia’s biggest 2 year drenching on record.
And at first glance, 
it might have looked like a return to normal: rainfall was just 13mm above average, 
and temperature was only 0.1 of a degree above the mean.

But look more closely and 2012 was anything but normal, climate-wise.
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The year started with 
a La Nina in full swing, meaning much of Australia was wet. 

And some areas were still being hit with floods.

The west was in the action too, with severe tropical cyclone Lua soaking inland Western Australia.

All up, it was Australia’s 7th wettest start in 113 years of records.
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But April saw the climate shift into reverse.
The La Nina ended. 
The Indian Ocean became unfavourable for rain.
And Australia started to dry, particularly inland.

August to October was Australia’s 
6th driest on record.

Alice Springs had 
a record run of 
157 consecutive days without rain.
And the Australian summer monsoon didn’t even arrive before the year ended. 

In fact it would all have been even drier if not for another contrast; 
most of WA bucked the trend and had 
a wet November and December, helped by record high ocean temperatures offshore.
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The contrasts didn’t stop with rainfall. 

The year started 
so cool some people wondered where summer had gone, and ended with them sweating through heatwaves.

The first 3 months of 2012 were more than half a degree below average, while the 
last 3 were 3rd hottest on record. 

A November heatwave saw 
Ouyen record Victoria’s first ever springtime 45 degree day.
And with the heat and dry following 2 years of good plant growth, bushfires started earlier than usual.

Major fires hit South Australia and Queensland even before the end of spring. 
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So what did 2012 mean in the context of Australia’s changing climate? 

Well despite the cool start, the year was still warmer than average. 
And despite the recent La Nina events, 
the past ten years have been warmer than any decade in the last century.
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Wet to dry. 
Cool to hot.
Floods to fires.

2012 was certainly 
a year of contrasts. 
For the Bureau of Meteorology, 
I’m Andrew Watkins