Flooding rains in New South Wales this week were triggered by a 'wave' in the atmospheric jet stream, according to a scientist who says a La Niña weather pattern is also a factor.
The rains have returned with a vengeance little more than a week after the Bureau of Meteorology declared a flood-weary nation rid of a La Niña weather pattern.Weather systems driven by Rossby waves triggered the recent extreme rainfallThe town of Windsor, north-west of Sydney, experienced its worst flooding since 1978 on Tuesday.
"Very warm waters off the Australian coast provided extra energy and moisture contributing to the deep trough and east coast low, leading to the relative concentration of the heavy rainfall to one 24-hour period," a statement from the weather bureau reads.But fuel alone was not enough to cause the deluge. A trigger, or mechanism, was also needed.
Climate scientists call these jet stream waves planetary waves, or Rossby waves, and outside of the tropics, they cause much of what we call weather. "A low in the upper atmosphere, called a cut-off low, together with a blocking high-pressure system over the Tasman Sea, are formed as a result of these waves."
Torrential downpours in South Africa destroyed homes and infrastructure in April and May, resulting in some 400 deaths and US$1.5 billion in property damage. "I think this is something that needs to get into the conversation with the Australian public," she said.
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