Australia's second-hottest summer in 2024-25 ‘not possible without climate change', scientist says
Last summer was Australia's second-hottest on a record going back to 1910, at 1.89C above the long-term average, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology.
The second-hottest summer – coming after the second-hottest winter and the hottest spring on record – included the second-hottest January and the third-hottest December.
Only the summer of 2018/19, at 2.11C above average, was hotter.
Over the past 15 years, the data shows that only the summers of 2011 and 2001 have been cooler than the long-term average, taken from 1961 to 1990.
'Climate change is the primary ingredient for this summer's heat,' said Dr Linden Ashcroft, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne.
'You could not have made this hot summer cake without climate change. It will only get worse if we don't stop burning fossil fuels.
'There is no way this could have occurred without a heating planet. Yes, this is the second hottest summer on record, but it will be one of the coolest in the 21st century.'
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
She said the heat had come despite La Niña-like conditions in the tropical Pacific which have in the past been associated with cooler conditions.
Data released by the BoM shows the heat was well-spread around the country, with all regions seeing average daily temperatures in the top six on record.
Last summer ranked second for the hottest daytime temperatures, and fourth-warmest for night-time heat.
On a state-by-state basis, all mainland states had average temperatures in their 10 highest on record for summer. Western Australia had its hottest summer on record, and also its hottest summer for night-time temperatures.
Summer rainfall across the country was only slightly below average, with South Australia and the NT particularly dry.
'I don't think we should need convincing about climate change any more in Australia because we can feel it,' said Ashcroft.
'We see it in our plants, our weather observations, in our moods and in the decisions that we make. This heat affects people, but we do have the ingredients to stop it.'
The bureau's long-range forecast covering autumn and released this week, showed that most of Australia should expect typical rainfall levels, but north, east and central Queensland could be drier and it could be wetter in the north-west of the country.
For temperatures, there was an increased chance of unusually high daytime and night-time temperatures across the whole of the country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
Australia's ski seasons are melting away – and could disappear completely by 2050
Reporting live from Sydney, I can confirm that winter is well and truly here. The actual temperature currently reads a drizzly 12 degrees, but my weather app says it 'feels like' a frosty four – which justifies me busting out my puffer jacket for its seasonal debut. But while the chill is real, it's not all snowflakes and rainbows – especially for Australia's ski fields. The past two winters have been incredibly disappointing for snow enthusiasts, with warm temperatures delaying the start of the season and rainy weather forcing Australia's top ski resorts to shut early. In fact, 2023 and 2024 were the hottest Aussie winters in history – and with more above-average temperatures on the horizon, things aren't looking good for our ski fields. What to expect for Australia's 2025 snow season? The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has forecast unusually high daytime temperatures across southern and eastern Australia, right where our ski fields sit. David Karoly, Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne and Councillor at Climate Council of Australia, says, 'We can also expect warmer-than-average nights, which makes it hard for snow to form and settle. It also means fewer nights with good conditions for snow-making overnight.' While the BoM predicts rainfall will return to normal following droughts in southeastern Australia, above-average temperatures could see precipitation in the mountains fall as rain, not snow, melting the existing snow base faster or washing it away entirely. Professor Karoly warns that this trend will continue in the years to come, "We have had declines of maximum snow depth and decreasing season length at Australian ski resorts reported for over 30 years… The declines are greatest at lower elevation resorts and on lower elevation slopes, where the temperatures are higher and the melting is faster.' Can artificial snow save Australia's ski industry? Australia's ski fields have become increasingly reliant on machine-made snow, with all Aussie ski resorts except Mount Stirling currently using some level of snowmaking to improve the quality and length of the season. While it's a temporary fix, experts warn artificial snow is not a sustainable solution – for two main reasons. Firstly, the climatic conditions required to produce the snow are becoming less reliable due to climate change. Artificial snow only works when it's cold enough that the snow doesn't melt, when there's enough humidity in the air and when there's lots of water – something that's becoming increasingly scarce in the southern Alps. On top of that, there are significant water and electricity costs associated with snowmaking. For perspective, covering the equivalent of an AFL stadium would require 1 million litres of water, with billions invested in machine-made snow across the country. Are Australia's ski resorts at risk of closing for good? The sad reality is that Australia's ski resorts won't be economically viable if they depend on natural snowfall alone. Dr Lily O'Neill, Director of Protect Our Winters Australia, explains, 'Future generations of Australians will know skiing, but not to the same extent as we do today. The more we get on with cutting climate pollution, largely by continuing to move away from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and gas, the better chance future generations will have at experiencing skiing here at home.' What will Australia's snow seasons look like in 2050? According to Our Changing Snowscapes – an Australian-first report exploring climate change's impacts on the Australian Alps – there may be no reliable ski areas left in Australia by 2050. Ski seasons are forecast to shrink by between 44 and 55 days (42 to 52 per cent), and the amount of machine-made snow needed to sustain a 100-day ski season (the minimum days for a ski field to remain viable) is predicted to increase by 71 to 98 per cent in the 2050s. However, we're not giving up all hope just yet. Dr O'Neill adds, 'Enjoying ski seasons later into this century should still be possible if the Albanese government takes action to keep us in a low emissions scenario, particularly for higher-altitude resorts, like Hotham and Thredbo.' Those that are at lower altitudes are particularly vulnerable and already feeling the impacts of climate pollution, and planned adaptation needs to start happening now in these communities.' Dr O'Neill is also calling for more year-round investment to help ski resorts diversify beyond snow activities. Professor Karoly agrees, 'Tourism operators may be able to adapt by switching to promoting other activities in spring and summer, such as mountain walking, horse riding and trail biking.' You can see what's in store for Australia's snow seasons and what's needed to protect them by reading the full report here.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Winter blast to sweep across Australia
A chilly winter blast will sweep across Australia this week as winds from the Antarctic, snow and several 'bands' of rain wreak widespread havoc. A cold change is heading towards Australia southeast from Tasmania, which will move into NSW in the coming days. On the other side of the country, Perth is set to receive its heaviest rainfall this year as a slow-moving low pressure system brings rainfall totals potentially exceeding 85mm over Tuesday and Wednesday. The extreme conditions in the first week of winter come after Australia enjoyed its fourth warmest autumn on record. The south-western regions of Western Australia will cop a soaking after a relatively dry start to 2025 with below-average rainfall in its capital. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines told Daily Mail Australia thunderstorm presented the main threat to south-western WA. '(We've just) had the first band of what will probably be a few different bands of showers and storms between now and Wednesday,' he said. 'Parts of western WA will see a good few storms out over the water, which are sort of headed towards Perth over the next few hours. 'Then that's going to become quite a common pattern between now and Wednesday. 'They'll likely see bands of showers embedded with a few storms, and then in between those bands, it'll probably brighten up again and the sun will come out, and then another band will roll through.' There is a chance that thunderstorms could develop into severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts or extra heavy rainfall which could flooding in coastal areas. 'That risk is there for well the next few hours, as this first band goes through that it come back on Tuesday with another another spell of showers and storms,' Mr Hines said. West Australians will see the system starting to weaken by Thursday. 'There might be a few lighter showers lingering, but the venom will have been sucked out of this weather system,' he said. Some bands of rain may reach as far north as the Pilbara bringing unseasonal showers to the area, but in a diminished capacity. Elsewhere across the country, a cold change has been making its way towards the south-east mainland. '(That) has been slowly crossing Tasmania and on Tuesday morning, that'll move across Victoria and about the southern half of South Australia,' Mr Hines said. 'Then on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, that'll move up through through NSW.' The cold front will likely bring rain and a little snow to the higher peaks of Tasmania. 'As the slightly cooler air kicks in on Tuesday, we could certainly see some snow falling across both the Tasmanian mountains and then eventually, a little bit later on tomorrow, Victoria and southern New South Wales mountains,' Mr Hines said. The chance of rain will ease over the week, however, the frosty air is expected to stick around for several days, with plummeting overnight temperatures expected. Meteorologists are expecting rainfall totals to be minor, in good news for the rain-battered regions of New South Wales, which are only now beginning to recover from the damage of the recent flooding. 'Sometimes fronts can bring really vigorous and punchy sort of rain and storms and big accumulations of snow,' Mr Hines said. 'But this one is only bringing pretty minor rainfall totals really. There will be a bit of rain with it today and tomorrow as it moves northwards, but certainly nothing significant and not likely to be heavy rain or flooding.' 'So it's just going to be the snow and the cold air will be more of the notable effects of this front.' The cold 'pool' is expected to hangover south-east NSW and Victoria which could mean two days or more of snow for the alpine regions. Snow can be expected at lower levels as the coldest air of the front arrives, about 900m on the mainland and 600m of elevation in Tasmania. The bureau issued a warning to graziers in areas of the NSW Snowy Mountains on Tuesday, warning the chilly conditions could cause the loss of lambs. Marine wind warnings are also in place for much of the NSW coast. A second cold front will approach south-eastern Australia closer to the weekend. That system is expected to bring snow to the highest areas of the Australian Alps on Saturday, just in time for the June long weekend. Another, more significant mass of cold air will hit the same regions on Sunday into Monday. Sydneysiders will see a top of 16C on Tuesday and south-westerly winds between 25 and 35km/h could bring late showers. Cloudy conditions will cover Melbourne with a high chance of showers expected for an otherwise 14C winter's day. In Hobart, the mercury isn't expected to pass 12C with a medium chance of showers projected.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Triple threat rain bomb about to strike Australia: What you need to know
A chilly winter blast will sweep across Australia this week as winds from the Antarctic, snow and several 'bands' of rain wreak widespread havoc. A cold change is heading towards Australia south-east from Tasmania, which will move into NSW in the coming days. On the other side of the country, Perth is set to receive its heaviest rainfall this year as a slow-moving low pressure system brings rainfall totals potentially exceeding 85mm over Tuesday and Wednesday. The extreme conditions in the first week of winter come after Australia enjoyed its fourth warmest autumn on record. The south-western regions of Western Australia will a cop a soaking after a relatively dry start to 2025 with below-average rainfall in its capital. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines told Daily Mail Australia thunderstorm presented the main threat to south-western WA. '(We've just) had the first band of what will probably be a few different bands of showers and storms between now and Wednesday,' he said. 'Parts of western WA will see a good few storms out over the water, which are sort of headed towards Perth over the next few hours. 'Then that's going to become quite a common pattern between now and Wednesday. 'They'll likely see bands of showers embedded with a few storms, and then in between those bands, it'll probably brighten up again and the sun will come out, and then another band will roll through.' There is a chance that thunderstorms could develop into severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts or extra heavy rainfall which could flooding in coastal areas. 'That risk is there for well the next few hours, as this first band goes through that it come back on Tuesday with another another spell of showers and storms,' Mr Hines said. West Australians will see the system starting to weaken by Thursday. 'There might be a few lighter showers lingering, but the venom will have been sucked out of this weather system,' he said. Some bands of rain may reach as far north as the Pilbara bringing unseasonal showers to the area, but in a diminished capacity. Elsewhere across the country, a cold change has been making its way towards the south-east mainland. '(That) has been slowly crossing Tasmania and on Tuesday morning, that'll move across Victoria and about the southern half of South Australia,' Mr Hines said. 'Then on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, that'll move up through through NSW.' The cold front will likely bring rain and a little snow to the higher peaks of Tasmania. 'As the slightly cooler air kicks in on Tuesday, we could certainly see some snow falling across both the Tasmanian mountains and then eventually, a little bit later on tomorrow, Victoria and southern New South Wales mountains,' Mr Hines said. The chance of rain will ease over the week, however, the frosty air is expected to stick around for several days, with plummeting overnight temperatures expected. Meteorologists are expecting rainfall totals to be minor, in good news for the rain-battered regions of New South Wales, which are only now beginning to recover from the damage of the recent flooding. 'Sometimes fronts can bring really vigorous and punchy sort of rain and storms and big accumulations of snow,' Mr Hines said. 'But this one is only bringing pretty minor rainfall totals really. There will be a bit of rain with it today and tomorrow as it moves northwards, but certainly nothing significant and not likely to be heavy rain or flooding.' 'So it's just going to be the snow and the cold air will be more of the notable effects of this front.' The cold 'pool' is expected to hangover south-east NSW and Victoria which could mean two days or more of snow for the alpine regions. Snow can be expected at lower levels as the coldest air of the front arrives, about 900m on the mainland and 600m of elevation in Tasmania. The bureau issued a warning to graziers in areas of the NSW Snowy Mountains on Tuesday, warning the chilly conditions could cause the loss of lambs. Marine wind warnings are also in place for much of the NSW coast. A second cold front will approach south-eastern Australia closer to the weekend. That system is expected to bring snow to the highest areas of the Australian Alps on Saturday, just in time for the June long weekend. Another, more significant mass of cold air will hit the same regions on Sunday into Monday. Sydneysiders will see a top of 16C on Tuesday and south-westerly winds between 25 and 35km/h could bring late showers. Cloudy conditions will cover Melbourne with a high chance of showers expected for an otherwise 14C winter's day. In Hobart, the mercury isn't expected to pass 12C with a medium chance of showers projected. Sydney Tuesday: The chance of morning fog in the outer west. Mostly sunny day. Slight chance of a shower at night. Min 11. Max 20. Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers along the coastal fringe, medium chance elsewhere. Min 11. Max 16. Thursday: Mostly sunny. Slight chance of a shower along the coastal fringe in the morning. Near zero chance of rain elsewhere. Min 8. Max 17. Friday: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Min 8. Max 17. Saturday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Min 9. Max 19. Melbourne Tuesday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Min 10. Max 14. Wednesday: Cloudy. Medium chance of showers in the northwest suburbs, slight chance elsewhere. Min 8. Max 14. Thursday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a morning and early afternoon shower. Areas of morning frost in the northeast suburbs. Min 6. Max 15. Friday: Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Min 7. Max 14. Saturday: Partly cloudy. Very high chance of showers. Min 8. Max 15. Hobart Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the early morning. Min 5. Max 12. Wednesday: Cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Min 4. Max 12. Thursday: Cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Min 6. Max 13. Friday: Cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Light winds. Min 4. Max 14. Saturday: Cloudy. High chance of showers. Min 8. Max 14. Adelaide Tuesday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Min 10. Max 17. Wednesday: Sunny. The chance of morning frost about the northern suburbs. Min 4. Max 16. Thursday: Cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Min 5. Max 18. Friday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Min 9. Max 18. Saturday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. Min 9. Max 17. Perth Tuesday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. A thunderstorm likely. Min 13. Max 21. Wednesday: Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. A thunderstorm likely. Min 13. Max 20. Thursday: Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the morning. The chance of a thunderstorm near the coast. Min 12. Max 20. Friday: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Min 8. Max 19. Saturday: Sunny. Light winds. Min 6. Max 20. Darwin Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Min 21. Max 31. Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Light winds. Min 22. Max 32. Thursday: Mostly sunny. Light winds. Min 22. Max 31. Friday: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Min 21. Max 32. Saturday: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Min 21. Max 32. Brisbane Tuesday: Medium chance of showers, most likely in the early morning. The chance of a thunderstorm in the south in the early morning. Mostly sunny day. Min 15. Max 25. Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Slight chance of an afternoon shower. Min 14. Max 23. Thursday: Sunny. Light winds. Min 11. Max 22. Friday: Mostly sunny. Light winds. Min 11. Max 23. Saturday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds. Min 12. Max 24. Canberra Tuesday: Mostly sunny. The chance of morning fog. Slight chance of a shower in the late afternoon and evening. Min 1. Max 17. Wednesday: Slight chance of a shower in the early morning. Sunny afternoon. Min 2. Max 12. Thursday: Sunny. Areas of morning frost. Light winds. Min -3. Max 13.
