Australia records its second hottest September as El Niño intensifies warming

Australia experienced its second hottest September on record, with average temperatures 2.71 °C above the long-term 1961-1990 average and night-time lows 2.52 °C above the norm, the highest since records began in 1910. All states placed within their five warmest Septembers, and the Northern Territory recorded its sixth warmest. Alpine regions broke temperature records, and snow depth in Kosciuszko National Park fell to zero for the first September since monitoring started in 1954.

Western Australia was the only region with above-average rainfall, marking its second wettest September. Climate scientists attributed the extreme warmth to ongoing climate change and a strengthening El Niño, which is forecast to become the strongest on record. The Bureau of Meteorology highlighted persistent high-pressure systems that kept days warm and dry across the southeast.