Every El Niño is different.

A strong event can produce only modest effects in some regions, while a weaker event can have significant impacts.

Australia’s rainfall and temperature patterns result from the combined influence of multiple climate factors – not just El Niño.

The last El Niño was a moderate to strong event that developed in spring 2023 and continued into early 2024.

While August to October 2023 was Australia’s driest 3-month period on record, a strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) contributed to the dry conditions.

El Niño had less influence from late 2023. Storms along the east coast and 4 tropical cyclones brought above average rainfall to widespread areas during the summer months.