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Research points to ‘alarming’ climate change influence
Published: 4 September 2026
The growing El Niño weather phenomenon to Australia’s east is already breaking heat records, with forecasts showing it will likely easily surpass previous events, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
Separate research suggests climate change has greatly shortened the odds of the event hitting record extremes.
Source – read full story: The Guardian
What is El Niño and how does it impact Australia?
Australia’s weather is influenced by many climate drivers. El Niño and La Niña have perhaps the strongest influence on year-to-year climate variability in Australia. They are a part of a natural cycle known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and are associated with a sustained period (many months) of warming (El Niño) or cooling (La Niña) in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. The ENSO cycle loosely operates over timescales from one to eight years.
El Niño typically means:
- Reduced rainfall
- Warmer temperatures
- Shift in temperature extremes
- Increased frost risk
- Reduced tropical cyclone numbers
- Later monsoon onset
- Increased fire danger in southeast Australia
- Decreased alpine snow depths
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