Seasonal climate summary southern hemisphere (spring 2014): El Niño continues to try to break through, and Australia has its warmest spring on record (again!)

Abstract

Southern hemisphere circulation patterns and associated anomalies for the austral spring 2014 are reviewed, with emphasis given to the Pacific Basin climate indicators and Australian rainfall and temperature patterns. Equatorial seasurface temperatures in the Pacific warmed through the season, and the Southern Oscillation just exceeded El Niño thresholds. However, although trade wind strength weakened at times, particularly late in the season, tropical cloudiness near the Date Line and trade wind strength were more often close to average, suggesting the atmosphere was still not firmly linked with the warmer ocean below. The negative Indian Ocean Dipole values of winter flipped to neutral or weakly positive values through spring. Pressures in the Australian and Maritime Continent regions were high. Around Antarctica, sea ice reached a record extent in September, with expansion most prominent in the Indian Ocean sector and north of the Ross Sea. Winds to the north of these regions were strong. The Antarctic ozone hole was of moderate severity, and of similar size to ozone holes in the early 1990s. Over Australia, it was the warmest spring on record, surpassing the record warm spring of 2013. A strong anomaly in the 200 hPa geopotential height persisted over the south-east of the country through October and November. Australia was particularly dry in the east through spring, but Western Australia received good rainfall. Column ozone levels in the Australian region were slightly above average and consistent with increased ozone transport to mid-latitudes associated with the phase of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation.