Seasonal climate summary southern hemisphere (winter 2002): consolidation of El Niño conditions in the Pacific

Southern hemisphere circulation patterns and associated anomalies for the austral winter 2002 are reviewed, with emphasis given to the Pacific Basin climate indicators and Australian rainfall and temperature patterns. Following a particularly strong westerly wind burst during May, winter 2002 witnessed the return of El Niño conditions to the Pacific Basin. By season’s end, surface and subsurface ocean temperatures were significantly warmer than normal across most of the tropical Pacific Ocean, while atmospheric indicators such as cloudiness and surface pressure confirmed this shift to El Niño conditions. Across Australia, winter 2002 was a season of exceptionally high maximum temperatures, near record low rainfall, and a record diurnal temperature range. The season as a whole witnessed the consolidation and intensification of drought conditions across most of continental Australia, marking the early stages of what was to become one of the most severe El Niño drought episodes in Australia’s history.