La Nina Responsible For Cooler, Wetter Summer

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday January 12, 2008

By BRETT COX

A ONCE-IN-A-DECADE climatic phenomenon is likely to make this summer the coolest and wettest in recent memory, experts predict.

While school holiday swimmers at Wollongong beaches took advantage of 25-degree temperatures yesterday, many beachgoers wondered out loud about the seemingly slow start to the summer.

"It hasn't seemed as hot as other years," Karen Plume, 25, observed. She is right.

Despite the influence of climate change, weather readings taken at the University of Wollongong reveal the mean maximum temperature for December days was 24 degrees, compared to the long-term average maximum of 25.1 degrees.

There was 193.3mm of rain in December, well above the 94.5mm average.

According to Clinton Rakich from the Bureau of Meteorology, the summer of 2007-08 will be distinct from those in recent memory and be marked by more rain and fewer hot days.

A climatic phenomenon called La Nina is to blame.

La Nina, which raises sea temperatures here and drops them in the eastern Pacific, has arrived for the first time since the summer of 1998-99.

"It's been a long time since it was last here," Mr Rakich said.

"Most people would have forgotten what it's like."

Characteristics of La Nina are regular easterly winds that bring cool sea breezes - along with the rain.

But Mr Rakich said the change in temperature did not help climate change advocates with their argument that long-term figures showed minimum daily temperatures had steadily increased.

All the talk of less-than-perfect weather isn't great news for Bob Sellers, owner of the Great Australian Ice Creamery in Wollongong.

When the sun is shining so is his business.

"We've been extremely busy the last two or three weeks but the period before that, when it rained, it was slower," Mr Sellers said.

The extra rain has increased the Sydney Catchment Authority's dam levels to their highest since December 2003.

Dams are 60.8 per cent full, up from 36.7 per cent at the same time last year.

Avon Dam, which supplies most of the Illawarra's drinking water, is at 74.2 per cent, up from 38 per cent at the same time last year.

Cordeaux Dam is 80.8 per cent, up from 40.3 per cent.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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