A climate analysis is given of the southern hemisphere autumn circulation, March to May 1991, with greater attention to the Australian region. The standard climate indices gave early indications of the formation of El Niño-type conditions. The most significant indicators were the substantial negative Southern Oscillation Index and the gradual warming in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. A blocking dipole in the South Pacific was another El Niño signature. In the Australian region, record low autumn rainfalls in some eastern areas could be linked to incipient El Niño conditions.
D. Gaffney (Sun,) studied this question.