Australia's second wettest summer on record

• Section: Current Affairs - Category: Current Affairs

ONE of the strongest La Niña's on record has ensured summer 2010-11 has been the second wettest on record for Australia.
Tom Saunders, meteorologist at The Weather Channel, said above average rain has been recorded across most of Australia this summer.
"Nationally we averaged 354.7mm, 70 per cent above normal and second only behind the infamous summer of 1973-74 when 419.8mm was recorded," said Saunders.
"This will be no surprise to most Australians considering the flooding which occurred over large parts of the east and north."

All states and territories recorded above average falls. Out of 111 years:

-    Victoria recorded its wettest summer on record
-    Western Australia recorded its second wettest summer
-    South Australia recorded its third wettest summer
-    New South Wales recorded its fifth wettest summer
-    Queensland recorded its sixth wettest summer
-    Northern Territory recorded its eighth wettest summer
-    Tasmania recorded its seventeenth wettest summer

"After a decade of drought, The Murray Darling Basin also recorded its third wettest summer on record," said Saunders.

"Looking ahead into autumn, the La Niña is now past its peak and has been weakening since early January. However, until the Pacific Ocean returns to neutral in winter we can expect above average rain to continue over most of the country.