Seasonal climate summary southern hemisphere (spring 2001): persistence of near-normal conditions in the tropical Pacific

Southern hemisphere circulation patterns and associated anomalies for the austral spring 2001 are reviewed, with emphasis given to the Pacific Basin climate indicators and Australian rainfall and temperature patterns. Spring 2000 and summer 2000/01 saw the development of a positive phase of the Southern Oscillation. By autumn 2001, the Southern Oscillation had returned to a neutral state, which persisted through to spring 2001. Spring rainfall was above to very much above average across most of Tasmania, central and western Australia, and central Queensland. For most of the rest of the country, spring rainfall was near average. Spring was cooler than average across most of the continent with respect to both maximum and minimum temperatures. Tasmania on the other hand recorded a warmer than average spring.