BOM's severe weather outlook signals wet summer ahead, with flooding and more cyclones likely
ABCThe Bureau of Meteorology's severe weather outlook suggests there is an increased risk of flooding this summer in the east and north of Australia as the La Niña makes its presence felt. Key points: There is an increased risk of flooding for the east and north, with a slightly above-average cyclone risk This year's above-average forecast for cyclones bucks the trend of recent decades Bushfire potential is normal in most states and the same with the risk of heatwaves In the fortnight since La Niña was announced, there has been widespread rain and it looks like flooding is something we are going to have to get used to, according to the BOM's October to April outlook. "So while the rainfall outlook suggests that they will see a lot of rain over the next few months, until the rain starts to come in and wets the environment and increases the soil moisture, they will be prone to above-average fire risk," Mr Browning said. Loading YouTube content To add literal fuel to the fire, he said La Niña's influence often started to wane as we moved into the second half of summer, which could result in the new growth driven by the early rain drying out and increasing the grassfire risk at the end of summer.