Australia's meteorological agency has confirmed an El Nino event in the Pacific, potentially bringing drier, warmer weather to parts of the country.
While forecasts signal a "strong to very strong" El Nino climatic pattern, the Bureau of Meteorology says a potent system does not necessarily equate to strong weather impacts for Australia.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Friday ascribed a 63 per cent chance of an El Nino of record-breaking strength developing later in the year.
Australia's climate is driven by more than just the El Nino–Southern Oscillation patterns that cycles in the Pacific Ocean periodically, including the Indian Ocean Dipole, which is presently neutral, and regional sea surface temperatures.
Climate change caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere is also pushing average temperatures higher and leading to more erratic and extreme weather.
