Seasonal climate summary southern hemisphere (winter 1989): the Southern Oscillation Index falls to near average

The climate of the southern hemisphere winter 1989 is summarised with emphasis on the Australian region. In winter 1989 the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and other main climatic indices tended towards average levels from the anomalous values of the previous cold episode winter (1988). The eastward displacement of a middle to high latitude planetary three-wave pattern in winter 1989, as compared to winter 1988 (cold episode), was a notable feature. In conjunction with this, a westward shift occurred in main Pacific blocking activity in winter 1989 in comparison with winter 1988.