AUSTRALIA’S wet spring continues apace with the flooding focus switching this week from outback Queensland and central NSW to Victoria.
A system dumped between 30-70mm over much of Victoria late last week, before a series of fronts delivered similar rainfall, primarily in western and central regions, this week.
It has led to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) declaring flood warning on at least ten river systems in Victoria with flood watches in place on several more.
The far south-west of Victoria has been the hardest hit by flooding thus far.
The Glenelg River burst its banks in Casterton, near the South Australian border, causing evacuations, while its tributary, the Wannon, also caused flood damage in nearby Coleraine.
Across the border, there was over 50mm in Naracoorte which has filled up many seasonal swamps in the area that have not seen water for several years.
And the rain early this week is not the end. Meteorologists expect the rainfall to hit the north once again, with over 50mm expected along the Queensland / NSW border near Goondiwindi.
The BOM is attributing the wet conditions down the east coast to a surge in the strength of the negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event, which leads to wetter than average conditions in many parts of Australia.
In its recent El Niño Southern Oscillation update it also said while a La Niña event had not occurred there were many climatic markers behaving like they do in a La Niña pattern.
After weakening during August, the negative IOD has strengthened and is currently close to the record values seen in July.
BOM officials still believe it will weaken to neutral values by the end of the year.
