Australian Officials Declare the Arrival of El Niño During Blistering Heat Wave

Angely Mercado
·1 min read
A thick blanket of smoke hangs over parts of the Sydney, September 14, 2023, following New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) hazard reduction burns in the past week.
A thick blanket of smoke hangs over parts of the Sydney, September 14, 2023, following New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) hazard reduction burns in the past week.


A thick blanket of smoke hangs over parts of the Sydney, September 14, 2023, following New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) hazard reduction burns in the past week.

Australian authorities declared the arrival of El Niño, amid dangerous heat waves that are raising the country’s risk of widespread bushfires.

The Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) announced the arrival of El Niño in an outlook after seeing a combination of conditions that include higher-than-average ocean temperatures. “Climate model outlooks suggest this El Niño is likely to continue until at least the end of the southern hemisphere summer 2023–24,” the announcement said.

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The heat this month has challenged events and recreation throughout Australia. Runners who participated in the Sydney Marathon last weekend had to sweat it out, and dozens were sent to the hospital, according to the New York Times.

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