At this time of year in Australia, the first forays to the beaches begin. However, this year things are quite different, at least for now, as the weather - with a few exceptions - is anything but spring-like.
In fact, data shows that Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra recorded the coldest spring weather in 30 years, while locally in Sydney the temperature did not reach 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on a single day for the first time in three decades, the Guardian wrote.
Also, the rainfall, for the season, was the second highest in Australia - and the highest for Victoria - since records have been kept, as the La Niña and negative Indian Ocean Dipole weather events persist.
In particular, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra had the lowest daily temperatures in 30 years for this time of year, with maximum temperatures at least one degree below the long-term average.
Furthermore, the spring in Brisbane was the coldest in 12 years and in Perth the coldest in 6 years.
It was only the second time in the last 20 years that the average maximum value across Australia was below the long-term average for this time of year.
For some of Sydney's western suburbs, including Penrith, it was the first Spring where the temperature did not reach 30 degrees Celsius as clouds brought down the highs.
Melbourne, which usually has at least four 30-degree days in spring, and Canberra, which usually has at least three, also failed to reach the milestone.
There were some warm days in Perth, but only three days of 30 degrees or more, compared to the average of ten days this time of year.
Hobart had a colder spring in 2021, while Darwin is experiencing tropical conditions.
Meteorologists blamed the cool weather on the La Niña phenomenon, which for the third year in a row contributed to frequent rainfall and unseasonably active cold fronts sweeping north from the Southern Ocean.
The most recent spring, with below average temperatures, was in 2010, also a year with a strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole and La Niña.
As flooding continued to wreak havoc, especially in regional communities, this spring was also the second wettest on record in Australia and the wettest on record for Victoria and New South Wales.
«It's absolutely unbelievable,» meteorologist Dr Andrew Watkins told ABC.
At the same time, the southeastern highlands received snowfall several times in November.
Mount Hotham in Victoria was hit by the coldest conditions for the month, with temperatures dropping to -7 degrees Celsius on 16 November, compared to the long-term average of 3.5 degrees Celsius.
It was the lowest temperature for November ever recorded in Victoria.
«The Indian Ocean Dipole is weakening very quickly ... so that's good. La Niña may last a little longer, it's starting to weaken a little bit, but we're not ‘out of it’ yet,» Dr. Watkins explained.
The National Weather Service's long-term forecast says that above-average rainfall, which is higher than average, will be sustained until February for southeastern Australia, including eastern Tasmania, before La Niña fades.
Below average temperatures are also expected for south-east Queensland, central and eastern New South Wales, parts of Victoria and the south coast of Western Australia.
