The La Nina weather event which has helped ignite boom times in Australian agriculture is beefing up again.
The world's weather experts are now agreeing the once wilting La Nina will likely continue until at least August.
The World Meteorological Organisation says there are "long-lead predictions" the rain driver will continue into next year as well - the first La Nina triple whammy for more than half a century.
"Rainfall predictions suggest Australia will continue to see above-average rainfall over the coming months," the WMO said in a global weather update in recent days.
The longer the La Nina-inspired good seasons occur across much of Australia, the closer the nation is to a return of dry seasons, most fear.
It was a topic of conversation at the ABARES conference in March where experts pointed to the historical likelihood of wet seasons ending soon.
The Victorian government in March also quoted expert advice forecasting a looming dry spell to justify an order of a further 125 gigalitres from its controversial $3.5 billion desalination plant to secure Melbourne's water supply.
Thanks to La Nina, Melbourne's dam storages are instead 85 per cent full.
Authorities have also been releasing water from the Hume Dam because of the rain bounty across the Murray Darling Basin.
Only a week ago, the Bureau of Meteorology said La Nina was slowly weakening in the tropical Pacific.
"Compared to two weeks ago, tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures have warmed, particularly in the western half of the tropical Pacific, returning to near-average values," BOM's seasonal update stated.
"However, some atmospheric indicators continue to show a La Nina signal, including cloudiness along the equator and the Southern Oscillation Index, while trade winds have shifted more firmly towards a more neutral ENSO pattern," BOM's update stated.
"Most climate models surveyed by the bureau indicate a return to neutral ENSO during the southern hemisphere winter. Two of the seven models maintain La Nina conditions through the southern winter."
A recent Monash University study has suggested climate change could make La Nina a regular contributor to Australia's weather, alongside the drier El Nino.
Now global weather experts say the current La Nina, which officially began in September 2020 and weakened during January and February has unusually gathered strength again.
The World Meteorological Organisation said all the weather data indicates a "high probability" the "protracted La Nina event", will continue until at least August and possibly to the northern hemisphere fall and start of winter.
MORE READING: Big wet shows no signs of weakening.
While a La Nina generally means wetter seasons for Australia, it has also triggered droughts in other countries such as the horn of Africa and southern South America.
The global weather watchers have been monitoring above average rainfall in South-East Asia and Australasia.
The WMO said La Nina has affected temperature and precipitation patterns and exacerbated drought and flooding in different parts of the world.
The WMO said if La Nina was to continue into next year as many were forecasting "it would only be the third triple-dip La Nina (three consecutive northern hemisphere winters of La Nina conditions) since 1950".
La Nina refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds, pressure and rainfall.
"Human induced climate change amplifies the impacts of naturally occurring events like La Nina," WMO secretary-general Prof. Petteri Taalas said.
Prof Taalas said these weather drivers were increasingly influencing weather patterns, in particular through more intense heat and drought and the associated risk of wildfires - as well as flooding.
He said the impact of climate change placed pressure on weather organisations like the WMO to improve global forecasts.
"Improved seasonal forecasts are pivotal in this because they help plan ahead and gain substantial socio-economic benefits in climate sensitive sectors like agriculture, food security, health and disaster risk reduction," Prof Taalas said.
"In addition to improving climate services, WMO is also striving towards the goal that everyone should have access to early warning systems in the next five years to protect them against hazards related to our weather, climate and water," he said.
The WMO also said aside from La Nina, it was also monitoring widespread warmer than-average sea-surface temperatures which are predicted to dominate the forecast of air temperatures for June-August 2022.
"However, the extent and strength of predicted warming is less than during March-May 2022. Models indicate increased chance of negative Indian Ocean Dipole over June-August 2022."
Rain predictions are similar to typical rainfall effects of La Nina.
The WMO is the United Nations leading voice on weather, climate and water.
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