Aussies issued with urgent flood warning as Bureau of Meteorology confirms La Niña is headed Down Under again
Australians have been warned to be prepared and know what to do ‘if disaster strikes’, after the Bureau of Meteorology declared that La Niña will return this summer.
Last week, meteorologists confirmed the wet weather system, which can bring above-average and often torrential rainfall to Australia, is underway in the Pacific Ocean.
La Niña typically brings cooler, wetter weather to parts of the country and increases the likelihood of tropical cyclones and monsoons, whereas its counterpart, El Niño, causes drier conditions.
‘There are clear signs the tropical Pacific ocean and atmosphere are now coupled, meaning they are acting to reinforce and sustain the La Niña pattern,’ the Bureau said.
‘Atmospheric indicators, such as trade winds, pressure and cloud patterns over the equatorial central Pacific, also show consistent signs of La Niña.’
The last La Niña event ran from 2020 to March 2023, which led to record-breaking rainfall and major flooding across NSW and southeast Queensland.
The 2022 eastern Australia floods, which stretched from Sydney to the mid-north coast of NSW and up to Brisbane, were particularly devastating.
Two dozen people sadly died, hundreds of schools were closed, and more than 3,000 homes were submerged in the regional city of Lismore alone.
La Nina typically brings wet weather, cooler temperatures and flooding (pictured is Sydney in August)
The Bureau of Meteorology warned the La Nina weather system will return likely this summer (pictured are floods in Taree, NSW in May 2025)
The Bureau confirmed La Nina is underway, which can bring above-average rainfall
Maitland in NSW was partially submerged earlier this year in floods along the NSW coast with rains expected to intensify as La Nina kicks in
In a relief for many Australians, the Bureau expects that this La Niña will be ‘weak and short lived’ with their forecast for summer showing below average rainfall is likely in the west and eastern inland.
But they also warned the weather would wildly vary and there would be an increased risk of bushfires for parts of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
It was also forecasted there’d be warmer than average days and nights with an increased risk of extreme heat.
NSW State Emergency Service Assistant Commissioner, Sean Kearns, urged people not to become complacent.
‘It is important to know your storm and flooding risk, have a plan in place, get your home ready, be aware of what you will do if disaster strikes, and look out for one another,’ he said.
‘Stay across local warnings and information in your area by downloading the Hazards Near Me app and please steer clear of floodwater. If you encounter a flooded road, turn around and find an alternative route.’
